NFL Rumors: Insider believes Ravens have pitched an improved contract offer to Lamar Jackson

We're officially two days away from the start of the 2022 NFL regular season, and the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson still haven't agreed on a contract extension.

Jackson is entering his fifth season in the NFL and is playing under the player option as the team picked him up following the 2021 season.

It seems like the two won't agree to a deal before the season starts, meaning he would become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

NFL insider Josina Anderson tweeted that Baltimore Ravens executive Steve Biscotti would never offer a deal to Jackson such as the one Browns' gave Deshaun Watson. She did mention that Jackson received an improved offer from the team.

She then compared Jackson's situation to Kirk Cousins' and mentioned how Kirk bet himself short-term and it ended up paying dividends for him.

One of the reasons why the Ravens and Jackson, according to multiple sources, haven't agreed to a deal is because he wants a fully-guaranteed contract.

Once the Browns gave Watson a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract, it made Jackson want a similar deal.

Since Watson's deal, two franchise quarterbacks have been extended, and neither were given fully-guaranteed contracts, even though they had no legal issues pending.

Kyler Murray was given a five-year, $230 million contract with $160 million guaranteed from the Arizona Cardinals.

Russell Wilson got a new five-year, $245 million contract from the Denver Broncos with $145 million guaranteed.

A few other quarterbacks that have been extended this off-season are Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr, and Aaron Rodgers. None of them got fully-guaranteed contracts.

While Jackson is seeking a fully-guaranteed contract, it is unlikely he will get one. Though the Browns gave Watson a fully-guaranteed contract depsite his recent actions, it's been viewed at as an outlier by all the other clubs.

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Lamar Jackson's resume through four years

Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson deserves to be extended. Through four seasons in the NFL, Jackson has done enough to prove that he's a franchise quarterback. He has a career record of 37-12. On average, he only loses three games a year.

Jackson became the first player in NFL history to win an unanimous MVP in 2018. That was after leading Baltimore to a 13-2 record while breaking the single-season record for most rushing yards in a single-season by an NFL quarterback.

He has a career passer rating of 98.1 and is the most dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. He's led the Ravens to the playoffs for three years but only has a 1-3 career playoff record thus far.

This season will be big for Lamar Jackson as he enters a contract year and if he impresses, he will get a big contract before next season.