OJ Simpson Makes His Pitch for The Raiders to Sign Lamar Jackson

Many teams would become immediate Super Bowl contenders if they were to sign Lamar Jackson.

OJ Simpson chimed in with his belief that this is all a ploy by the Ravens to get someone else to negotiate Jackson’s deal for them.

The Baltimore Ravens placed the franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson on Tuesday, taking the NFL’s top potential free agent off the market.

The Ravens made the long-expected move official by using the tag just before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. Baltimore and Jackson, who doesn’t have an agent and is representing himself, have been unable to reach a long-term deal since he became eligible for a contract extension over two years ago. Sources told ESPN last year that Jackson wants a fully guaranteed deal like the one given to Deshaun Watson last year by the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore is against doing so because the team considers the Watson deal an outlier.

The Ravens used the nonexclusive tag on Jackson, sources told ESPN. With the Ravens using the nonexclusive tag, Jackson can engage in contract talks with other teams. If Jackson signs an offer sheet with another team, Baltimore has the right to match the offer to keep him or take two first-round picks as compensation. The nonexclusive tag — which will pay Jackson $32 million this season — is less expensive than the exclusive one (projected at $45 million), which would have allowed the Ravens to control his rights this year.

Now, under the franchise tag, the Ravens and Jackson have until July 17 to work out a long-term deal. If an agreement is not reached by that NFL-mandated deadline, a new deal can’t be signed until after the season. Baltimore has reached multiyear deals with five of the seven players who have previously received the tag by the team.

It’s uncertain how Jackson will proceed under the tag. He could wait to report just before the start of the regular season or choose not to play under the tag at all.

OJ makes the case that two number one picks won’t be enough for the Ravens to part ways with Jackson.

We shall see.