A contract clause could lead Lamar Jackson from Ravens to Steelers or Giants

A contract clause could lead Lamar Jackson from Ravens to Steelers or Giants originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are going to have contract discussions this offseason, and maybe next year, too.

But eventually, there's a nightmare scenario looming that could end poorly for the Ravens with their franchise QB.

As things stand, Jackson would be a free agent in March 2028. If the Ravens and Jackson can't find themselves on the same page, maybe he looks elsewhere.

Everything is made a bit tougher for Jackson's negotiations since he's his own agent, and so it's not a lock that Baltimore can secure him for the long haul.

Despite that negotiating method, Jackson does have his contract set up in a way that doesn't allow him to be franchise-tagged. If he gets to free agency in 2028, there's nothing the Ravens can do but bid with everyone else.

"Jackson is slated to be a free agent in March 2028 and has a clause in his contract that prevents the Ravens from placing the franchise tag on him," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote in a new article on Thursday. "The quarterback market is slow at the moment, barring new developments with Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay or in Houston."