Some argue that quarterback Lamar Jackson should refuse to play under his current contract until the Ravens get him the contract he desires.
So, this is the query. What if/when Jackson decides he's simply not going to play at some time between now and 1:00 PM ET?
He cannot, of course, be made to play. He would forfeit his game check if he outright declined to participate. Additionally, he would expose himself to potential punishment for harmful behavior to the team, which carries a maximum four-game ban without pay.
The other truth of not playing is that his contract would eventually extend to 2023. This would prevent the Ravens and Jackson from using the year-to-year plan that would have put Jackson on the open market in 2025 and forced them to start over in 2023.
It is VERY improbable that he would act in this manner. Numerous people throughout the league say Jackson isn't wired that way.
Nevertheless, this is the first season of his career in which he clearly understands the risk-reward trade-offs involved in forgoing long-term security and competing with only his guaranteed wage for the current season. Will he be considering getting hurt? How will it impact his playing?
Will that affect his willingness to play through injuries going forward? In recent years, the idea of the "hold-in" has gained popularity. In the past, it was used to describe a player who wanted a new contract but didn't have one and used a legitimate, embellished, or outright faked injury as an excuse to sit out a game.
What would the group do if that happened? Accuse him? Do you think he's utilizing an ailment that would usually prevent him from playing to vent about not having a contract?
It won't matter if he has a poor season and/or misses several games due to injury (or "injury") if the Ravens have already decided to use the franchise tag in 2023. Why, then, if Jackson is in any way injured, should he enter the fight at anything less than 100 percent?
As this extraordinary situation develops, these are reasonable questions to raise. For the first time, a franchise quarterback wants a new contract, a team is willing to offer it to him, there is a standoff over whether the deal will be fully guaranteed, and Jackson lacks a representative to advise him on whether, for example, he should have skipped training camp or participated in a hold-in, as that practice is now known, showing up and refusing to practice or play until the business was resolved.
Jackson can no longer leave or go on a one-man wildcat strike. It would be fascinating to watch whether he decides to set a much higher bar for what it will take to convince him to continue playing without the long-term agreement he desired since he invariably picks up scrapes and bruises during games.
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