Andrews: 'I think Lamar's a Raven for life'

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is confident he'll be catching passes from Lamar Jackson for a long time to come.

"I think Lamar's a Raven for life. ... I know they want Lamar, and I know that he has a lot of respect for the organization as well," he told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Tuesday. "I think both parties want to get this deal done, it's just about doing it."

Andrews joked that he'd give Jackson his paycheck if that's what it took to keep him in Baltimore.

Jackson, a former NFL MVP, will be a free agent at the end of the season after failing to come to terms with the Ravens ahead of the campaign. The signal-caller opted to pause contract talks in September.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson's fully guaranteed five-year, $230-million deal appears to be complicating negotiations between Baltimore and Jackson. The two parties could potentially be $100 million apart in terms of guaranteed money, reports ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Jackson will likely be hit with the franchise tag to prevent him from reaching the open market. He would then need to play on the one-year tender if he and Baltimore can't agree to a deal by July 15.

The exclusive franchise tag, which prevents other teams from negotiating their own deal with Jackson, will cost $45.3 million. Meanwhile, the non-exclusive tag comes in at $32.4 million.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in January that he's "200%" confident Jackson will be the club's long-term starter.

Jackson's injury struggles continued for a second straight season in 2022. A PCL sprain sidelined him for the last six games of the campaign, including the wild-card round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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