The Pittsburgh Steelers' former quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger spent 18 years in the NFL, all of them in black and gold. During his time in the league, Roethlisberger faced more opposing quarterbacks than he can count and the Baltimore Ravens have presented him with several challenges over the years. The Ravens' most recent signal-caller has been Lamar Jackson.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson hug each other after a game.
Jackson is beloved in Baltimore. Part running back, part gunslinger, he is the perfect example of the newer, more mobile quarterback the NFL teams love. Now Jackson wants to be compensated commensurate with other elite NFL quarterbacks and it's easy to see why. The Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson have set the quarterback contract ceiling really high. Jackson is arguably as good, if not better than Watson, so why should he take less? But there are issues complicating the situation including rumors of collusion and the fact that Jackson doesn't have an agent and represents himself.
Steelers' Roethlisberger Says Lamar Jackson Is Making A Mistake
Roethlisberger is no stranger to contract negotiations and now he speaks out about the controversy in Baltimore on his podcast Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger.
On his show, he was very open that he feels like Jackson might be making a mistake by not having an agent represent him:
"I know it hurts him not having an agent. I'm not sure why he doesn't have one, he just doesn't want one. In the NFL, you can pay agents between one and three percent, so he could pay an agent one percent of his 200 and some million dollar contract and would be fine."
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburgh Steelers former QB Ben Roethlisberger on his podcast.
Roethlisberger brings up an example of how he thinks Jackson is going about this the wrong way:
"Here's another interesting point. He and Josh Allen are the same class. I think Josh signed a new deal like two years ago and has already made 40 some million dollars, while Lamar's still in this. That's 40 some million that Lamar never made back. I understand he's waiting for this big deal, but he also could have kept doing two-year deals like two for 50, two for 100, instead, he's still on these deals where he's making franchise tag money at 20 something or whatever. It just feels like he's been missing out on bigger money."
Roethlisberger said that money isn't the only motivating factor for players during contract negotiations and it is hard to know exactly what is in someone's mind:
"Maybe it's not about that, maybe it's about wanting to go somewhere else."
USA TODAY Sports / Jessica Rapfoge
Oct 23, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) stiff arms Cleveland Browns linebacker Deion Jones (54) during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium.
Spencer Te'o, Roethlisberger's co-host brings up that there are only two players in the NFL who represent themselves and he wonders how significant the role of a sports agent is to the NFL. Does it make the league look bad when there is an outstanding player deserving of a big contract that goes in without an agent? Does that set a bad precedent for the league? Roethlisberger responds:
"At the end of the day, it comes down to the team, the ownership, the GM, the coaches, they have to want the player and want to give the deal. In this situation, I don't know what's gone on, maybe they have offered things and Lamar just wants a little more, wants something different. There is a lot of he said, she said and two-sided type of stuff. For the NFL, it just keeps him in the news cycle whether he signs or doesn't, he's in the cycle so it's good for the NFL.
Roethlisberger adds that he is concerned this is dragging on too long and it might soon affect Jackson's ability to play in 2023. Adding that some media are raising questions about his decisions:
"Something's got to happen soon. I can't imagine he's going to play this year on another deal like this and risk injuries and people start asking questions like last year. Why didn't he come back? Did he not come back to preserve his body? He's a different animal out there, he's a good football player."
What do you think of Jackson holding out? Do you think it makes a difference to the league if a player has an agent or not? Where do you think Jackson will end up in 2023? Click to comment below.
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