"He’s being dragged through the mud" - NFL fans can't help but feel for Lamar Jackson in latest social media post

Lamar Jackson's situation with the Baltimore Ravens continues to be at a crossroads, with the quarterback not accepting the team's contract proposal while waiting for a fully guaranteed contract to come – whether it is from Baltimore or from any other team, as he's allowed to sign an offer sheet.

As the first week of free agency went by and he did not sign an offer sheet with any team, he's still contractually tied to the Baltimore Ravens via the non-exclusive franchise tag. The fact that a long-term deal has not been signed yet is concerning for the fans and also the franchise, which wants to see him locked in for the future.

Jackson's most recent post on social media saw many fans taking it as a joke regarding the standoff in negotiations with the Ravens:

What's stopping Lamar Jackson from extending his contract with the Ravens?

Many NFL teams decide to lock up their star quarterbacks as soon as possible, but the Ravens waited longer than normal to extend Lamar. Now, they're having many of problems.

He wants his contract to be fully guaranteed, but as learned Wednesday, teams are not willing to do so. Even Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was critical of Deshaun Watson's contract, which was fully guaranteed at signing, due to what that may cause other teams to do.

Steve Bisciotti is at a crossroads with his franchise quarterback.

Jackson has a play style that makes him susceptible to injuries. If the Ravens give him all the money he wants, they're going to risk not just one or two seasons, but the long-term of the franchise as well. You don't want to pay a lot of money for a quarterback who can't play.

But the quarterback also has a point. He has seen Kirk Cousins and Watson get fully guaranteed contracts. He feels he deserves more than them.

The issue is that not only would this be one of the league's biggest contracts ever but with all the guaranteed money coming, this would put the Ravens at a knife edge. If they manage to keep Jackson, times will be happy in Baltimore, but there will be a huge cost for doing so.