Four months ago, when Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens failed to reach a long-term extension by the quarterback’s season-opening deadline, the contract distortion field was set. From that moment on, every momentum shift would be focused through the prism of negotiation.
His hot September? The Ravens should have given him the bag.
Jackson’s middling start in October? He should have taken the deal on the table.
The late playoff push? Both sides need to get something done.
Back and forth the narrative went.