This situation gets stranger by the week. The NFL has now put out a memo warning team against negotiating with some mysterious man/agent on behalf of Lamar Jackson, further making this contract saga weirder.
I can’t think of the last time there has been such a strenuous, weird, and drawn-out contract negotiation saga since the implementation of free agency back in 1993.
Lamar Jackson still remains unsigned and practically unwanted by the Baltimore Ravens as the former MVP quarterback is sitting on a non-exclusive, $32.5M fully guaranteed franchise tag that does give him the right to negotiate with other teams, but it also allows the Ravens to match any said offer.
So, in essence, Lamar Jackson’s fate remains tied to Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta whether he likes it or not…which is now almost painfully obvious the pair cannot stand each other. Okay, maybe it’s a stretch to say these two individuals don’t like each other, but it’s certainly credible to believe the Ravens and Jackson’s relationship has been permanently destroyed. And this latest memo leak proves it.
From the very start of Jackson’s career when he was drafted by the Ravens with the 32nd overall pick in 2019, he’s been adamant (for whatever reason) against employing the services of NFLPA accepted agents in his contractual negotiations, even when it would be easier to agree terms with the Ravens.
Perhaps it’s out of distrust for the agent industry or a desire to not give 5-20% of one’s agreed contract in agent fees, Lamar Jackson has been one of the few players in today’s NFL game to complete reject and shun the help of agents and agencies.
In my opinion, it’s a very admirable stance as it not only bucks against the norms of player-team-agent relations in contract negotiations, but it also demonstrates Jackon’s initiative to represent himself, take full accountability and responsibility over his finances, and paving a new way forward for new generations of players. I’d commend Jackson more if it wasn’t obviously ruining his career.
A few days ago, I said that I didn’t believe there was a league-wide conspiracy amongst the owners against signing Lamar Jackson’s $200M+ guaranteed contract demands, but now I’m almost fully gone 180 in my original beliefs.
In this memo leak, the league office stated some mysterious individual named Ken Francis has been going around to different NFL teams on behalf of Lamar Jackson to get them into negotiations with the quarterback. Seems reasonable enough (aside from the mysterious element behind said individual’s true identity) as that’s what every single NFL agent does, right? WRONG!
The memo made it clear to any team even remotely interested in negotiating with the former MVP winner through this intermediary is not only against the CBA, but it also will be “disapproved” by the NFL. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I’m guessing any contract to come from said intermediary would be nullified.
So, if you’re following this, not only is Lamar Jackson getting shunned (allegedly) by most of the NFL and the owners because of his reluctancy to use an agent, but he now cannot use an outside, independent intermediary to help facilitate an agreement.
Call me crazy but this stinks of cronyism as it is forcing Jackson to use “NFLPA certified” agents to negotiate his contract, which obviously allows said agents to jack up their commission prices without the fear of losing said client.
Perhaps there’s some obvious reason why an outside, independent agent can’t be used in the negotiating process, but I think I see why Jackson is getting treated like a plague victim by even the neediest of NFL teams: they’re trying to keep the already established agency business alive and intact.
Maybe the league isn’t specifically targeting Jackson, but it most definitely looks like (key words here) the league is making an example out of him.
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