The Baltimore Ravens don't appear close to locking down star quarterback Lamar Jackson to a long-term contract, but the former NFL MVP wants it made clear he has no desire to leave Maryland.
"I love my Ravens I don't know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I'm having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind🙄," Jackson wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
It's unclear exactly what Jackson is responding to, but his comments came a day after Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti discussed the state of negotiations regarding the QB's contract.
Bisciotti told reporters at the NFL's Annual League Meeting on Tuesday that Jackson's lack of urgency in getting a long-term contract done is "unique as hell because everybody expects you to say, 'I've got to get mine now," according to ESPN.com.
The owner alluded to the idea that Jackson could go the Kirk Cousins route, play out the final year of his contract, then force the Ravens to use back-to-back franchise tags on the QB before forcing his way to free agency.
"But it's like, (GM) Eric (DeCosta) can't keep calling him and say, 'Hey Lamar, you really need to get in here and get this thing done.' That's not a GM's job," Bisciotti said. "Kirk Cousins did it that way. What if Lamar says that? I'll play on the fifth year, I'll play on the franchise, I'll play on another franchise and then you can sign me.
"And that gives me three years to win the Super Bowl so you can make me a $60 million quarterback, because that's where it will be four years from now. That might be the case, but I don't talk to Lamar. It's not my role. I don't know the answer."
Bisciotti didn't insinuate that Jackson was trying to escape Baltimore but rather suggested the dynamic QB's motives are more psychological.
"The kid is so obsessed with winning a Super Bowl, that I think deep down, he doesn't think he's worthy," Bisciotti said. "I think he wants that to say, 'Now, I deserve to be on top.' People can speculate any way they want. I don't think he is turned on by money that much and he knows it's coming one way or the other."
Whatever the reason for the lack of a long-term deal, Bisciotti said he doesn't expect a new contract to happen before the season unless Jackson "has a change of heart."
