USA TODAY Sports activities

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has set a Week One deadline for getting a brand new contract in place with the group. Coach John Harbaugh has stated a deal will get carried out when it will get carried out.

So what occurs if it doesn’t get carried out by Week One?

Clearly, it may nonetheless get carried out after the primary recreation of the common season. It’s not an actual deadline, however one thing imposed by Jackson. He can change his thoughts at any time, and the Ravens at any level may give him a suggestion shut sufficient to what he needs to make it occur.

If the deal doesn’t get carried out earlier than the conclusion of the 2022 season, the Ravens could have a restricted window to proceed to barter completely with Jackson. Then, they’ll should resolve whether or not to use the franchise tag and, maybe extra importantly, whether or not to make use of the non-exclusive model or the costlier unique stage.

The Ravens went via that evaluation a decade in the past, after Joe Flacco rejected the group’s finest supply in August and wager on himself. He gained, squeezing a market-setting deal on the eve of the deadline for making use of the tag — at a time when groups just like the Browns and Chiefs had been believed to be able to attempt to signal him to a suggestion sheet if the non-exclusive tag had been used.

The Ravens could welcome the prospect to make use of the non-exclusive tag with Jackson. If one other group indicators him to a suggestion sheet, the Ravens merely must match it and he’s signed. Whereas sure video games could be performed to make it tougher for the Ravens to match, the league way back closed the Steve Hutchinson loophole. Nonetheless, the Ravens must assume the danger that one other group will make (and Jackson will settle for) a suggestion they will’t or gained’t match — and to just accept two first-round picks as compensation.

A tag and commerce can be doable, with the Ravens sending Jackson to a most popular vacation spot in trade for acceptable compensation. That’s the one approach Jackson may get to Miami at this level, on condition that the Dolphins misplaced subsequent yr’s first-round choose because of the Sean Payton/Tom Brady tampering probe.

By way of all of it, the Ravens and Jackson have the flexibility to do a long-term deal at any time. That window would shut solely on July 15 of 2023, if he’s tagged by the Ravens and never traded.

The simplest option to keep away from all of that is to get a deal carried out within the subsequent 4 weeks. That’s clearly simpler stated than carried out; in any other case, a deal can be carried out by now.