With the NFL offseason in full effect, players at the end of their contracts are looking to get the money that they believe they deserve. What team that money comes from often comes down to who offers more.  

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reached the end of his contract and was hoping to sign a large contract with his team that included a lot of guaranteed money. Unfortunately for him, and the Ravens, they could not reach an agreement that was beneficial for both parties.  

Money is not the only issue though, throughout his career with the Ravens Lamar has never had a star wide receiver, aside from Mark Andrews, the Ravens have failed to give him something special on offense. Ever since the 2013 Super Bowl win over the 49ers, the Ravens haven’t had a star receiver that was in their prime. They often sign receivers when they are a bit too old to be considered amazing.  

After a lot of conversations between the organization and the star quarterback, Lamar Jackson stated on his Twitter, “…in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that’s met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the super bowl.”. Many Ravens fans were crushed, but not surprised by this move from Lamar. As he is an incredibly talented player that has no agent and is essentially represented by his mother, it will be much more difficult for him to reach a deal with a team.  

Things are starting to brighten up for the fans of the Ravens though, on Thursday, April 13th, the Baltimore Ravens signed star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal worth $18 million which is an exciting sign for many. The great move from the Ravens stirred up a lot of buzz around the league, and seemed to interest Lamar Jackson as well, as he posted an image of Beckham Jr. and himself on a FaceTime call after the signing. 

While Lamar has not reached a deal with any other team and is still on the Ravens, time will tell if the OBJ move will be enough to keep Lamar in Baltimore.