QB offseason storylines: Lamar Jackson uncertainty and Zach Wilson in the spotlight

Bubbling away in the background this offseason are Lamar Jackson’s protracted contract negotiations with the Ravens. Jackson has still not signed a long-term deal. While the Ravens’ AFC rivals have locked their young quarterbacks into record-shattering extensions, Jackson has continued to run his contract down.

The former MVP is set to play out the 2022 season on the final year of his rookie deal. The Ravens remain confident they can get a deal done prior to the season – a deal that Jackson is negotiating himself without an agent. But that was before they traded away Jackson’s running mate, receiver Hollywood Brown. And with each passing week that the two sides do not reach a compromise, the more likely it is that Jackson could play elsewhere in 2023.

Jackson is reported to be looking for a deal that would guarantee him $45m per season. The Deshaun Watson contract in Cleveland looms large, too. Watson signed a fully guaranteed deal with the Browns, and it’s likely that Jackson wants a deal with a similar structure – a fully guaranteed contract that will allow him to re-enter free agency before he hits 30.

The Ravens may be queasy about ponying up $250m in guaranteed money for a quarterback whose ability to run leaves him more vulnerable to injury. Yet given the shift across the sport (and sports in general) towards player (read: quarterback) empowerment, the decision is most likely out of the Ravens’ hands anyway.

Does Jackson want to stay in Baltimore long-term? Would he prefer to move back home to Miami? The quarterback-franchise relationship is increasingly taking on the role of a partnership rather than the top-down employer-to-employee dynamic. The Arizona Cardinals essentially overpaid to acquire Brown from