So, there's an article out there claiming that, if Lamar Jackson looked like Josh Allen, he'd be signed by now.
This isn't an unusual narrative.
In this case, I can't speak to the quality of the moral compasses of the powers that be with the Ravens; but, there are a lot of reasons why Jackson hasn't been extended that aren't related to racism.
First of all, as a general observation, Deshaun Watson got the best contract in NFL history. Last I checked, Watson doesn't look like Josh Allen.
Allen also got his deal before Watson. Since then, Kyler Murray got a bigger contract than Allen despite never having won a playoff game.
Yes, he won an MVP -- in 2019. It's 2023 and he's been injured both previous seasons. The most important ability is availability.
It's been reported that he wants a fully guaranteed contract to resemble Watson's. I'll give Jackson the credit that he has an MVP that Watson lacks, and he doesn't have a ton of sexual assault allegations against him; but, the Watson contract was a desperation move by the Browns. The Browns didn't want to give Watson that contract; they did it because they pissed off Baker Mayfield by pursuing Watson, then Watson evoked his no trade clause and refused to play for the Browns, so the Browns needed to throw a heap of money at him in order to stay viable. The Ravens aren't in that position right now. Really, no team is in that position right now.
To compound all of this, Jackson is serving as his own agent along with his mom. There have been reports that the Ravens were trying to extend him before Allen got his deal, and they couldn't get ahold of him outside of practice and game days.
I'm sure the Ravens want to lock him in long term, and throw a lot of money at him to make it happen. He will gain generational wealth during this off-season. Still, this is why the Ravens slapped the non-exclusive tag on him. They're gonna let him talk to other teams and see that nobody is gonna give him a Watson+ contract, and any offers that he does get, the Ravens will match.
It's just odd that people are jumping on racism as the reason why Lamar Jackson doesn't have a new contract.