As recently explained, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson needs an agent now more than ever. So will he hire an agent?
The prevailing opinion in league circles is that it will not happen.
For starters, although Jackson and his mother spoke to one or more agents from time to time, there was never a serious suspicion that Jackson planned to hire one of them. Some people think the goal is just to gather their brains for ideas. More importantly, there is a belief that Jackson will not hire an agent at this point due to the potential perception that he will admit his mistake by not hiring him sooner.
And make no mistake, it was a mistake.
Jackson was eligible for a new contract in 2021. Instead, it made $1.77 million that year. He made $23 million last year on his fifth-year option. In total for the last two years, this is 24.77 million dollars.
During the same period, Bills quarterback Josh Allen (selected the same year in the same round as Jackson) received $66.2 million from a contract he signed in August 2021. That’s over $41 million that Lamar will never get back.
For the past two years, Jackson’s problem with representing himself has come from direct negotiations with the Ravens. He can now negotiate with any interested team as he tries to get someone to either sign him on the offer sheet or approach the Ravens about a potential deal. This is a much more subtle and complex process.
At some point, Lamar Jackson has to make a deal with someone. He couldn’t do it with the Ravens, a team that usually deals with many other players. It’s hard to imagine him making it to another team or the Ravens by the July 17 deadline.
And what did he actually gain by not hiring an agent? He didn’t have to pay a one, two, or three percent commission. Hooray. But isn’t it now clear that 99, 98, or 97 percent of the pie a good agent would get for Lamar is much better than 100 percent of what he baked himself?
Just look at Josh Allen. Even with the maximum allowable rate of three percent, he has received $64.214 million over the past two years. Jackson received 100 percent of $24.77 million.
Yes, he needs to hire an agent. He will not. And that, after all, is his business. Among the various inalienable rights of American citizens is the right to make bad business decisions. He did this without hiring an agent in 2018, before the draft. He got another deal in 2021 when he qualified for a second deal. And he will most likely triple the bet, fearing that he has made mistakes in the past.
But he did. And it’s okay to admit it. It also doesn’t make us believe it’s against Lamar. Like I said, anyone who really wants Lamar to fail would just say at this point, “Keep it up. You’re doing great.”
Source: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
