Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday that he isn’t going to let one deal affect another.
DeCosta’s comments came one day after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signed a four-year, $160 million contract. That deal reportedly included $126 million guaranteed.
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DeCosta’s comments also come with 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson looking for a lucrative long-term deal of his own.
“If you go to the Bentley dealership or the Range Rover dealership, you know what the cars are going to cost. You’re not going to get much of a discount,” DeCosta said. “They all cost about the same and you go in there with the idea that you’re either going to buy the car or you’re not going to buy the car.
“… In the end, they’re all very big contracts. They’re outstanding players. They’re quarterback deals. They’re marquee players and you know you’re going to pay a lot, but you’re going to get a lot in return.”
DeCosta admitted that he’s in no race to get the deal done with the 24-year-old Jackson, who is entering the final season of his four-year, $9.47 million rookie contract. Jackson is slated to make $1.771 million in 2021.
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“Every negotiation is different. Every player is different. Every GM is different,” DeCosta said. “We have a strategy and we have a relationship. Lamar has played three years, and you know what, he’s a good player. We really feel good about him. I think he really feels good about us. It’s up to us to get a deal done.”
Jackson has appeared in 46 regular-season games with the Ravens and is 30-7 as a starter. He’s thrown for 7,085 yards with 68 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He’s also had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and has 19 touchdowns on the ground.
In the playoffs, he is 1-3 as a starter, and his completion percentage is just 55.9 percent compared to 64 percent in the regular season. He has thrown three touchdown passes and five interceptions in the playoffs.
–Field Level Media
