"Dude nearly had his d**n leg amputated" - Stephen A. Smith warns Lamar Jackson to sign $200 million extension and not end up like RGIII 

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will be entering the 2022 NFL season without a new contract.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Ravens have offered him a deal that is around $200 million. Lamar Jackson, however, hasn't accepted.

Jackson is reportedly seeking a fully-guarateed contract, much like the one the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson. No other quarterback this off-season has received a fully-guaranteed contract.

Lamar Jackson seems keen on betting on himself for the upcoming season by playing without a deal lined up.

Many analysts think Jackson should sign a deal before playing, as it could risk future money on a deal.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith thinks Jackson shouldn't play another down until a deal is agreed upon. He compared what happened to Robert Griffin III, and how his career was cut short due to injuries from being a running quarterback. Jackson plays similarly.

Smith said:

"What I'm saying to you is disdain. You can't be a guy that played in the NFL that understands far better than me how violent the sport is and how one player can end your career and go off the premise that this doesn't really happen to quarterbacks.

So I can step out on the field and take my chances, particularly when I'm a running quarterback like Lamar Jackson. I would remind you of a guy that now works on ESPN for us. He was supposed to be, at least, and breakaway speed was not as elusive.

"But RGIII with his breakaway speed, we saw his rookie year in the nation's capital with Washington, we saw what kind of speed he had and scrambling out of pocket and running for first downs."

Smith thinks that Jackson should sign the current deal that the Ravens have offered him.

He added:

"This dude nearly had his damn leg amputated. I might be being facetious here, but that's how vicious that hit was from a loading nada. Who, by the way, was it? It was against the Baltimore Ravens. What had happened that year, and his career was never, ever, ever the same again.

"He couldn't run like he once did. He couldn't throw like he once could because his legs were that compromised. We're talking about 23 million guaranteed compared to over 200 million guaranteed. I'm not going out on the field until I sign on the dotted line for that guaranteed 200 plus million dollars. That's just me."

Lamar Jackson won unanimous MVP in 2019 but only has one career playoff win

Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson is a unique quarterback. He is, by far, the most dual-threat quarterback the NFL has ever seen. He has been one of the most electrifying players in the league.

Drafted with the last pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Jackson finished his rookie campaign 6-1 as the team's starter. A year later, he led the Ravens to a 13-2 record while winning the unanimous MVP. He set the record for most rushing yards in a single-season for a quarterback with 1,207 yards.

Over the next two seasons, he would lead the Ravens to an 18-9 record. Last season was Lamar Jackson's worst season staticially, and he lost five games, which was the most in a season in his four-year career.

While he's had a lot of success early on, he has a career postseason record of 1-3. If he can't win a postseason game this year, the Ravens may rescind their offer and move on from him.

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