NFL News: Baltimore Ravens 'Confident' Lamar Jackson Will Eventually Re-Sign

There is a renewed confidence within the Baltimore Ravens organization that the team’s No. 1 quarterback Lamar Jackson will sign an extension deal before the 2022-23 season begins.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided an update regarding the Jackson situation on “Get Up” and that he had spoken with somebody within the franchise with knowledge of where things stand between Jackson and the Ravens.

“They're (Baltimore Ravens) determined to do a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson. They feel confident that it is going to happen eventually, but the Ravens have sort of put this in Lamar Jackson's court,” said Fowler. “They said: 'Hey, when you're ready to talk some particulars, come back to us. We will hash this out.' Lamar Jackson has not done that yet. Maybe that's strategic.”

Jackson and the Ravens have been at this point in their working relationship since contract talks stalled out ahead of the start of the 2021-22 NFL season.

A major reason why negotiations have taken so long is because unlike most professional athletes, Jackson has chosen to represent himself and decided to forego having an agent.

In layman’s terms, it means that Jackson is the one negotiating his own deals and handling his own matters when it comes to his career.

Fowler also noted that the Ravens have about five, six months to get a deal done with Jackson before he gets locked into the last year of his rookie-scale contract and the franchise is more focused on free agency.

The Ravens have 25 free agents, most of them unrestricted, and general manager Eric DeCosta and his staff have the unenviable job of determining which players to keep.

General consensus among Ravens fans is that the team needs to upgrade its offensive line across the board as they gave up 56 total sacks, 38 to Jackson, and 18 to backup quarterback Tyler Huntley.

DeCosta recently acknowledged the need to have an improved offensive line and secondary as the Ravens look to make a big splash in the coming season.

Rumors have also surfaced that the team could also be bringing back Ryan Jensen under center who was named to the 2021 Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, shifting Bradley Bozeman to one of the tackle spots if they get to re-sign him.

Back in February, Ravens team writer Clifton Brown floated some ideas on the players that they could target during the 2022 NFL draft in late April with their 10 draft picks, including the 14th overall pick.

Should the Ravens make good on their improvements to the offensive line, Jackson signing a long-term deal may not be that far off.