Ravens should have paid Lamar Jackson sooner

Lamar Jackson. Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Did the Ravens take too long to pay Lamar Jackson?

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 2/27/23

Lamar Jackson proved the Ravens right for taking him at pick No. 32 in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. But did Baltimore miss its chance to pay him?

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky believes the team should have paid him much sooner.

"The 2020 season when they were the number one seed, he was carrying that team. They had historical injuries .. they had like 30 guys on IR," Orlovsky said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "If I was Baltimore, I would sit there and go, 'That's the evidence we have.'"

"I can't fathom Baltimore moving forward without Lamar Jackson" ~ @danorlovsky7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/mKbO1mBr1W
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 27, 2023

Orlovsky makes a good point. If the Ravens would have paid Jackson then, they wouldn't have had to worry about the Deshaun Watson deal that has had a heavy influence on Jackson's demands.

Watson signed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Browns last offseason and now the 2019 NFL MVP reportedly wants a similar contract.

Baltimore did have all it needed to make an informed decision to extend Jackson following 2020. After winning the NFL MVP the season before, Jackson led an injury-riddled 11-5 Ravens team to the playoffs with 3,762 yards and 33 touchdowns.

A deal could still get done if the two sides can find a compromise but it will be much more costly now, and Orlovsky can't picture a world where it doesn't happen.

"I can't fathom Baltimore moving forward without Lamar Jackson," Orlovksy finished.

More must-reads: