Can Ravens Extend Lamar Jackson and Sign a No. 1 Receiver, Too?
The Ravens reportedly will explore a contract extension with Lamar Jackson this offseason, but the team's No. 1 priority should be landing a No. 1 wide receiver for Jackson, ESPN's Jamison Hensley wrote.
"The major storyline for the Baltimore Ravens this offseason is whether they will strike a mega-contract extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson that would pay him more than $40 million per season," Hensley wrote. "The best move the Ravens can make is not investing in Jackson right now but investing around him, starting with a No. 1 wide receiver like Allen Robinson."
The trend has been for teams to extend their franchise quarterbacks early in their rookie contracts. The Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Houston Texans' Deshaun Watson signed extensions heading into their fourth NFL season. Next season will be Jackson's fourth.
As noted in yesterday's Late for Work, the consensus among pundits is that the Ravens need to upgrade their passing attack, which ranked last in the league during the regular season, if they are to get past the divisional round of the playoffs.
In addition to Robinson, top wide receivers set to hit the free-agent market include Kenny Golladay, Chris Godwin, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller IV. The question is whether it's feasible for the Ravens to both extend Jackson and sign a No. 1 receiver this offseason.
"The Ravens are projected to have $23.6 million in cap space, but much of that is likely to go to raises for Jackson and [tight end Mark] Andrews," ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote. "Their passing attack is already about to get much more expensive, but they might need to go out of their way and spend even more to bring in the sort of receiver who can be a difference-maker for Jackson."
The Ravens have built a roster that's arguably as talented as any in the league, and one of the reasons they've been able to do so is that their franchise quarterback has been playing on his rookie deal (Jackson made $1.3 million this season). The days of having that luxury are rapidly growing shorter.
"We're still probably a year early for the window closing talk, but no doubt, it comes and goes quickly," The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote.
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