Just a little food for thought:
Maybe the Ravens don't intend to sign Jackson to a contract at all -- unless he shows marked improvement and consistency in playing the actual position of QB this season or next.
If we see marginal improvement this season, along with maturity in his gameday demeanor, maybe they franchise him next season. Sometime this season or next, they will need to decide if he can win a Super Bowl... Or hell, maybe they actually win one, which would make signing him easier.
During this time, they'll also continue to play Russian roulette in how they utilize "Lamar, the weapon". I was shocked his first season when he was continually running the ball 16-20 times per game. Eventually, I tipped my cap and thought "well, that's his skill-set, why try to change him". It was about that time that we were all saying "this is not sustainable, he's going to get injured". It has been sustainable, until JOK sent him packing last season. And although that was a sack and not him running in the open field, if these hits and injuries start to dull the weapon, Lamar loses his luster.
The Ravens will continue to chew him up -- they'll spit him out if they don't see improvement or there is a devastating injury. A Lamar Jackson, who cannot run like he does, is a middle-of-the-pack QB. Maybe they just intend to delay payment until they're sure?
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