No one ever needs to provide away an excessive amount of within the sports activities world. But this 12 months’s N.F.L. low season is carrying the misdirection to a brand new degree.
Lamar Jackson is staying in Baltimore, or he’s leaving. Aaron Rodgers hadn’t heard from the Packers, or possibly they haven’t heard from him. And the rapper Meek Mill is within the ear of his pal, the Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft, suggesting to whom he should turn for his subsequent quarterback.
What will occur subsequent? Don’t depend on the messaging to convey any readability.
Is Lamar Jackson Moving On?
Let’s begin with Jackson, the Ravens star who on Monday mentioned he needed out of Baltimore, the place he has been the beginning quarterback for almost 5 seasons. Jackson said in a tweet that the Ravens had “not been interested in meeting my value” on a brand new contract, a degree a few of his mates, allies and even rival gamers have been making for months.
According to Jackson, he requested a commerce on March 2, information that one way or the other stayed beneath wraps for almost a month, elevating the query of how aggressively Baltimore was purchasing his providers, or if it was trying to transfer on — or taking a look at providing him an extended, richer deal — in any respect.
While a commerce is a chance, Baltimore has already positioned the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, that means it might probably match any supply he may obtain. If no commerce or long-term deal is labored out earlier than July — the tag grants a lot of the leverage to the crew — the Ravens would retain his providers and Jackson would make roughly $30 million enjoying this season.
Coincidentally or not, Jackson’s message was posted simply as Coach John Harbaugh was assembly reporters on the annual league conferences in Phoenix. Jackson was Topic A, in addition to Topics B and C; the primary 20-plus questions put to Harbaugh had been all concerning the crew’s quarterback, however he brushed them apart one after one other.
“I haven’t seen the tweet; it’s an ongoing process,” Harbaugh maintained all through the grilling.
“I don’t know what direction it’s going to go,” he added. “I don’t have a crystal ball.”
But Harbaugh and Ravens president Sashi Brown made it clear that ideally they needed Jackson to remain.
“We love Lamar,” Brown mentioned. “We’re committed to getting something done.”
Who’s Calling the Shots?
Adding to the confusion, Jackson doesn’t formally have an agent. The N.F.L. on Thursday sent a memo warning groups to not negotiate with Ken Francis, who is just not a licensed agent, and had been contacting groups on Jackson’s behalf. Responding to a information report of Francis’s involvement, Jackson soon tweeted, “Stop lying, that man never tried to negotiate for me.”
Later that day, the quarterback teased a transportable health product coming from “my partner Ken and I.”
So the place will Jackson find yourself? Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, for one, mentioned his crew was , calling Jackson a “special player.”
But one other chance could possibly be the Patriots, in line with the Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft, who told reporters Monday that his pal, the rapper Meek Mill, had let him know that Jackson needed to return to New England. Kraft mentioned he responded that the choice was as much as Coach Bill Belichick.
Whither Aaron Rodgers?
In the meantime, Rodgers, who has gone public along with his need to hitch the Jets, has gotten stressed. It is unclear if he and the Packers are speaking in addition to one may count on for a crew and the star quarterback who has led them for 18 years.
Rodgers mentioned the crew had not been easy with him concerning the future.
“I love direct communication,” Rodgers mentioned in a March 15 interview on the “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“If they had just said: ‘Listen, we think it’s time to move in a different direction. We love you. You’re going to be a Packer Hall of Famer. You’re going to go into the Hall as a Packer. We’re going to retire your number; whatever it might be, but it’s time to move on,’ I would have said, ‘Thank you so much.’”
But the Packers on Monday advised that the shortage of communication was Rodgers’s fault. In an interview with reporters, Green Bay General Manager Brian Gutekunst mentioned the crew had tried and failed a number of instances to succeed in Rodgers to have a dialog about their collective, or separate, future. Gutekunst mentioned his motivation for reaching out to different groups searching for a attainable deal for Rodgers was rooted in “our inability to reach him or for him to respond in any way.”
Rodgers has mentioned he needs to maneuver on to the Jets, however no commerce has been finalized. The Jets executives proceed to drop optimistic hints {that a} deal might be accomplished, and say they’re in no rush.
“There’s not a ton of urgency from our standpoint right now,” their common supervisor, Joe Douglas instructed reporters in Phoenix, an announcement with which a lot of Jets followers may take situation.
Douglas mentioned he didn’t count on a deal for Rodgers to be accomplished in Phoenix. But given the befuddlement of the remainder of this low season, there should still be a twist in that story.
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