A good agent not only negotiates a player’s contract. A good agent also helps a player negotiate his life.
If Lamar Jackson currently had a good agent, Lamar would be receiving a phone call with a very clear and direct message: Stop playing defensive back or receiver on an asphalt basketball court.
A video has emerged of Jackson doing both. And while he wasn’t injured while doing either, there’s simply no reason to take that risk while on the brink of signing a life-changing contract with the Ravens. A broken ankle, torn ACL, ruptured, Achilles’ tendon, or other similar injury would end those talks, immediately.
This isn’t hard, and it shouldn’t be controversial. No player closing in on $40 million or so per year should be taking these risks just for kicks. Setting aside the question of whether the Ravens would declare any mishap a non-football injury and not pay his salary for 2021, the bigger issue here comes from the fact that his contract still isn’t finalized. Get injured playing DB or WR on a basketball, and it won’t get done.
The Ravens seem intent to take care of Jackson, who’s negotiating his own contract. Until that happens, Jackson needs to take care of himself. And he needs someone to tell him in no uncertain terms to minimize all physical risks until training camp, and to hope that a deal can get finished before then.