Jamison HensleyESPN Staff Writer10:59 AM ET6 Minute Read
Harbaugh: I didn’t see Lamar’s tweet, but I’m confident it will stay
Coach John Harbaugh remains confident QB Lamar Jackson will remain in Baltimore despite tweets detailing his desire for a trade.
Jackson representing himself tweeted that he applied for trading on March 2nd as the team was “not interested in meeting my worth” in contract talks.
“…I love the game of soccer and my dream is to help a team win the Super Bowl.” he tweetedadding that Ravens fans are “great, but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and me. No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I will continue to be close to my fans from Baltimore, Flock Nation and the entire state of Maryland. you will see me again
Harbaugh was immediately asked about Jackson’s tweet as he sat down at the AFC coaches’ breakfast.
“I didn’t see the tweet. It’s an ongoing process,” Harbaugh said. “I’m following it very closely, as is everyone else here. I look forward to a solution.”
With reporters shoulder to shoulder around his table, Harbaugh remained consistently upbeat about Jackson. He smiled and occasionally cracked jokes while answering 32 questions during his 27-minute media session.
Harbaugh said he’s still building offense around Jackson and doesn’t see a damaged relationship with the 2019 NFL MVP. But Harbaugh acknowledged there is uncertainty about Jackson’s situation.
“I don’t know where it’s going,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t predict the future. But I know whatever happens, it will be fine. It will be fine. i have my hopes I love Lamar Jackson.”
The Ravens put the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson on March 7 — five days after Jackson said he made his trade request — which allowed him to negotiate with other teams. If Jackson signs an offer sheet, Baltimore would have five days to either adjust it or receive two first-round picks as compensation. If there is no offer sheet, Jackson would make $32.416 million this season playing under the tag.
When asked if he was sure Jackson would play under the tag this season, Harbaugh said, “I don’t know,” adding that he hasn’t spoken to Jackson about it.
Harbaugh said “it’s been a while” since he last spoke to Jackson. His last interaction with Jackson was via a text message about the offense and the coaching staff.
But Harbaugh still thinks Jackson will be his quarterback in Week 1.
“You definitely have to plan for every contingency,” Harbaugh said. “I’m pretty excited about Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson is a great player. Lamar came back in great form last year. He’s excited to play. This is the Lamar I’m looking forward to.”
Ravens President Sashi Brown made similar comments later Monday.
“We love Lamar. We want Lamar back,” he said.
“We saw the tweet today. We were in good communication with him. These are difficult circumstances…but we are committed to trying to get something done.”
Last September, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen that Jackson turned down an offer from Baltimore that included $133 million at signing, $175 million for injuries and $200 million in total guarantees , when he is on the squad for the fifth day of league year 2026.
The $200 million would rank second among all quarterbacks to Deshaun Watson (five years, $230 million guaranteed) and those of Kyler Murray ($103.3 million guaranteed at signing) and Russell Wilson (124 million dollars guaranteed at signing) exceed contracts signed in the last year. Schefter and Mortensen reported in September that Jackson wanted a fully guaranteed deal similar to Watson’s.
Jackson hasn’t spoken about his contract since Week 1 of last season, and he hasn’t spoken to reporters since December 2.
When asked if he thought the timing of Jackson’s Monday tweet was meant to be pressureful, Harbaugh replied, “I really don’t know. It’s part of the football business.”
Jackson’s playing ability has made the Ravens one of the most successful teams in the past five seasons. His record of 45-16 (.738) is the fourth-best of any quarterback to debut in the Super Bowl era, behind only Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Roger Staubach. Jackson was named NFL MVP after the 2019 season. The Ravens have struggled without Jackson for the past two seasons, going 3-9 (.308) in his absence.
But Jackson’s existence and durability have come under scrutiny. Over the past two seasons, Jackson has totaled 33 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions and missed 11 games, including a playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
The Ravens hired Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator this offseason, and Harbaugh has repeatedly said they would build the new offense around Jackson.
“This is the guy I want to see as quarterback. That’s my type,” Harbaugh said. “We chose Lamar Jackson five years ago. Why? Because we love him. We love the way he plays, we love the way he thinks, his charisma, his style – everything about him, we love him.”
Jackson’s tweet is another unexpected turn in his negotiations with the Ravens, which span 25 months.
Last week, the NFL warned teams in a memo that they can only deal with Jackson because he doesn’t have an NFLPA-certified agent. The NFL can fine teams $47,000 if a club negotiates a contract with an agent or representative who has not been verified by the NFLPA.
When asked when he would like Jackson’s situation resolved, Harbaugh joked “yesterday,” before adding, “I just appreciate it being handled with class. Lamar handled it with class.”
Harbaugh insisted all the drama was the business of professional sports.
“It’ll work itself out,” Harbaugh said. “If we play football next year and Lamar Jackson is our quarterback, we will all be happy. He’ll be hooked to play. He will also be happy to play out there. It’s a liquid like that. There are no periods in all of this. “
Jackson’s trade request was the talk of Monday’s league meeting. Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said his team would consider Jackson, whom he described as “a special player.”
However, Washington Commanders GM Martin Mayhew said his team is making progress with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett, and New York Jets GM Joe Douglas said his focus is on acquiring Aaron Rodgers and he would not move to Jackson to put pressure on the Packers. to say, “It would be disingenuous and would be dealing in bad faith if we went down this route.”
Robert Kraft, meanwhile, said rapper Meek Mill, a good friend of the Patriots’ owner, recently texted him to say Jackson wanted to play for New England. Kraft said he responded that it was a decision made by coach Bill Belichick.