ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday has claimed that it is the Baltimore Ravens who are to blame for the contract situation surrounding Lamar Jackson.

With the NFL season just days away, there is really only one major storyline that has dominated the news cycle this offseason that has yet to be resolved. The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson have been in negotiations over a new contract for a long time now and we are fast approaching a pretty crucial deadline that could have a major impact in how things play out.

The Ravens are looking to lock down a quarterback who has almost changed the face of the organisation and revolutionised their offense single-handedly, putting up a total of 13,640 yards whilst providing a total of 106 touchdowns both with his arm and with his legs since making his debut in 2018, even winning league MVP back in 2019. 

Meanwhile Jackson will be seeking financial security and the prestige that he feels that he deserves after becoming the face of their franchise and one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks that the league has seen in some time.

However, with the Ravens set to kick off their season this coming weekend, no deal has been agreed, and the fact that they haven’t is set to be pretty important, as Jackson has stated that he wants everything to be wrapped up before the game kicks off and that he won’t take part in any further negotiations past that point.

The numbers that he has put up, and the fact they went 1-4 last season when Jackson was injured shows just how important he is to the team, but for whatever reason, perhaps as a result of some of the contracts handed out to other quarterbacks around the league this offseason, it looks as if the Ravens aren’t looking to pay him like the big-time quarterback his stats deserve.

Which has left Jeff Saturday claiming that the blame for the negotiations are still going on lies solely at the feet of the Ravens.

What has he said?

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Saturday claimed that the Ravens could easily have done the deal, but they don’t want to, believing that the Ravens don’t have enough faith in him to pay him the really big money that other quarterbacks around the league are getting:

Video: Jeff Saturday slams the Baltimore Ravens for their handling of Lamar Jackson:

Just when this will come to a head, is anyone’s guess. It might happen before the season starts, it might have to wait until the end of the season, but one thing is for sure, the Ravens would be making a big mistake if they didn’t sign Jackson to a new deal and just let him walk out the door because they didn’t pay him enough.