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Deadlines drive action. Anyone who pays attention to the NFL knows this. But when the deadlines aren’t real, they don’t do the trick. And artificial deadlines only work if both parties treat them as real.
For the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson, there appears to be no real deadline.
“It will probably be the deadline,” Jackson said Wednesday. “It will probably be cut after this week.”
Probably. He used the word twice. This means that it is not a real deadline. And how could it be? If the Ravens were to offer everything he currently wants next week, would he say no? Probably not.
The problem is that Jackson is already in football mode. How can it not be? So how can you be choosing meaningful time to reach an agreement?
Ultimately, it’s a two-part challenge. First, get the best team number on the table. Second, make an objective, dispassionate assessment of taking the best number versus rejecting the best number. If Jackson can do it without the involvement of an agent, great. If he can’t, there probably won’t be a new deal, this Friday or any Friday of the 2022 season.