The non-exclusive mechanism allowed Jackson to negotiate with other clubs. The 2019 NFL MVP said Thursday that other teams called him, but he never really harbored an interest in leaving Baltimore.
“To be honest with you, I really didn’t care for other teams, really,” Jackson said. “I just really wanted to get something done here. I wanted to be here. I was like, man, OK, other teams cool, but I want to be a Raven. … I really wanted to get this done before anything, before my time up and branch off somewhere else. I really want to finish my career here and win a Super Bowl here.”
Jackson declined to get into specifics of what changed during the months of negotiating and tweaks made to previous offers. He added that Jalen Hurts’ contract, announced 10 days prior to his own agreement, didn’t affect his deal. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Jackson’s deal includes a no trade clause, a no franchise tag clause and a $72.5 million signing bonus with $185 million in total guarantees upon signing. The Ravens QB will make an average of $52 million per year.
“Today, we’re gonna keep it about the future,” he said when asked about the trade request and perception of negotiations. “I’m not really worried about what happened in the past. We’re gonna keep it about these next five years and keep it about what’s going on today.”
Jackson the player always wanted to re-sign in Baltimore, but Jackson the businessman patiently waited for the right deal before signing.
“It’s a business. It’s a business at the end of the day,” he noted. “If you’re gonna represent yourself, you’ve gotta have a strong mind. I wouldn’t say you get out there and out your feelings in it because it’s not about feelings. … It’s a grown-man thing at the end of the day. So you’ve gotta be a grown man if you’re gonna handle business.”