Lamar Jackson said he has requested a trade from the Ravens, and that the request was first made on March 2.
Jackson broke the news on Twitter as Head Coach John Harbaugh was sitting down to meet with reporters at the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix. Harbaugh, who had not seen the tweets, answered about two dozen questions on the topic.
Jackson and the Ravens have been in contract talks for more than two years. Jackson's tweet made it clear that it's a financial disagreement. For that reason, Harbaugh indicated that he hopes a deal can still be reached. The two sides have until July 17 to reach a multi-year agreement before Jackson would be locked into the non-exclusive franchise tag of $32.4 million.
"You've got two sides that appreciate each other here. Lamar believes in us and we believe in Lamar, and we know where we want to go forward," Harbaugh said. "It's a monetary thing. That can be figured out, that can be worked out. It's just a matter of negotiating and you just continue down that road and eventually it will work out. There are always going to be creative ways to figure that stuff out."
"We're talking about finances. We're talking about numbers. And numbers can be figured out."
Harbaugh said the Ravens are preparing as if Jackson will be their quarterback moving forward. Even though Jackson has requested a trade, it doesn't mean a trade will happen. Asked if he anticipates Jackson will be his starter Week 1, Harbaugh said, "I do."
"I'm following it very closely, just like everybody else is here and looking forward to a resolution," Harbaugh said. "I'm excited, thinking about Lamar all the time. Thinking about him as our quarterback. We're building our offense around that idea."
