NFL reporter Albert Breer has claimed that one thing could create an impasse between the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson in their contract talks.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens over the past few years can best be described as ‘nearly men’, because despite some impressive numbers on both of their ends, they always find a way to fall short of expectations in both the regular and postseason.

From 2016-2020, the Ravens never finished lower than second in the AFC North, went to the playoffs three times and managed to grab the AFC’s #1 seed back in 2019, a year that saw Jackson win league MVP, John Harbaugh win Head Coach of the Year and Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman win Assistant Coach of the Year.

All they’ve managed to turn that into though is one playoff win, never going further than the divisional round, but there is no doubt that the success of the two are very-much linked, and if they want to be a success, Jackson has to be the man at the helm. 

Jackson making that difficult

And perhaps Jackson knows that, because as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, he’s not exactly being the most friendly when it comes to negotiating a long-term deal, with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti claiming recently that an extension this offseason is unlikely, with Jackson skipping OTAs over the matter.

With over 9,967 passing yards and 84 touchdowns to go along with 3,673 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns in the regular season, Jackson is one of the more unique, exciting and effective players in the league, certainly someone you can build a Super Bowl-winning roster around.

But until a long-term deal is done, it’s hard to know how long the two sides will have together, and Albert Breer believes that one thing could ultimately be a difference-maker.

What’s the issue?

Writing in his mailbag segment for SI.com, Breer claimed that he believed that the two sides would come to an agreement, but that one request from Jackson might derail things slightly:

“I think the Ravens and Jackson are going to get something done. That’s just a gut feeling. The trust between the sides remains strong, and I don’t think Baltimore is going to insult Jackson by trying to low-ball him. I also think Jackson values being a Raven, and genuinely wants to stay there. But I will add one caveat.“Jackson could draw a hard line on wanting a fully-guaranteed contract, like the one Deshaun Watson got. If he does, I think this situation becomes less predictable. We’ll see what happens.”

With his numbers in recent years it’s hard to bet against him and think that he doesn’t deserve that sort of guarantee, the only question that remains is whether or not the Ravens will give it to him.