oldno82

A much bigger problem that just might come about is what if Lamar and EDC can't negotiate an extension? Does Lamar sulk and become a problem child?? Do the Ravens believe they then have a cancer in the lockerroom? And then what do they do? Trade him? Cut him and eat the dead cap? What are the realistic viable options in that scenario?

He doesn't need to be as fast as he was a few years ago if he continues his development as a pocket passer this year who is mobile enough to pick up yardage on the ground when the opportunity presents itself. Josh Allen is big but isn't fast but he can pick his spots to run when needed. That is what I want to see Lamar accomplish.

I think he's got to complete the transition soon to pocket passer. I think he's got the ability to do it but just not sure how motivated he is to do it. Coaching here would be a big help. You're right about him being chased down from behind last year and a loss of speed. Not sure if it's all due to age and wear and tear or if his injuries hampered his quickness. The most important thing for Lamar right now, and for the Ravens, is for him to sign an extension that alleviates the cap hits.

You hit the nail on the head. If he can be more decisive about the timing and if the new coaching works out, he could have a really good year. One thing I will add is that he can't let himself get down when events don't go his way. He needs to be more even keeled during a game that will have it's ups and downs, I think he tends to get down on himself and that hurts his leadership and confidence.

There is some truth to that but it's not always been his fault...Andrews not making a crucial catch, etc. The team goes into a funk in the playoffs which I really can't explain except to point to coaching problems. Maybe those will be resolved now that Minter is HC. We shall see.

Yes he should be happy here but I think the near misses of going to the playoffs and then missing out on the SB may have taken a toll on him. He's from south Florida and may just want to be closer to his roots. Just a feeling. We'll know more by the middle of this month when we see if he's proactive about an extension.

OK...got it. Thanks! Interesting that they don't need Jackson's approval to do any of that. I wonder if that is standard NFL contract language or if someone on our team had the presence of mind to add it to the contract. I am very wary about Lamar's working something out with the team after what went down last go-round. I'm just not sure he wants to be here. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

OK, if 2028 and 2029 are already void years how much does 'dumping more cap charges into future years' add to out-year cap costs? By future years do they mean 2028 and 2029 or do they mean years beyond that?

Did he play at all after the injury in college? I know he comes highly regarded. I'm just a bit wary after us being burned so many times. I watched his results again at the combine....I will say he sure looks healthy.

By the way, the salary cap is up again: By Darnell Mayberry Feb. 27, 2026Updated 1:51 pm EST For the first time in NFL history, the salary cap will exceed $300 million, the league announced Friday. NFL clubs were informed that the cap will jump to $301.2 million per team, a $22 million increase from 2025. The 2026 salary cap will be nearly double the figure from 10 years ago and $118.7 million more than just five years ago.

I'd still want my medical staff to go over him with a fine tooth comb before I drafted him...I'm just really tired of us taking guys from college who were great until they got injured and then they never live up to what they accomplished before. As just one of many examples, I think of Ojabo.

Hey Tsyl, thanks for the postings. I didn't expect much from DeCosta and didn't really get much from him other than there will continue to be a reluctance from the front office to even saying they'd prefer Lamar to be at OTA's. Of course, they are voluntary so maybe he didn't want to put it out in public that it would at least be 'helpful' for the team to have him present as much as possible. I dunno. On the other hand DeCosta did indicate they'd made Linderbaum a really big offer. Will it be enough? Only time will tell. As for Minter, didn't learn much as I expected EXCEPT he seems to have a real desire to have very effective offensive and defensive line play in the trenches. He also still impresses me as a no-nonsense, intelligent guy. We should know by March 11 or so what the deal with Lamar is and whether or not we've kept our Center. I do agree with you that Bullock did play well last year and he may be a solution if Linderbaum moves on. Hard to believe but March 11 is only 15 days away...then and thereafter we'll begin to get a real idea of if they've resolved some of the big issues on the team.

I’m taking my wife to physical therapy around those times so I’ll check out YouTube when we get back. Thanks for letting me know.

EDC and Minter will each have a presser tomorrow. DeCosta's at 10:15am and Minter's at Noon. From what I've read, expect the GM to address the status of Lamar's extension progress, or lack thereof, and what if anything is expected in regards to Linderbaum. Of course, I very much doubt that anything earth shattering will be announced, but we might pick up a few bread crumbs with regard to where the franchise is headed. I don't know if the Ravens' website will live stream these. Maybe they'll be on the NFL channel too.

I have confidence that Minter will be able to improve the pass rush, either through better coaching, scheming, or better personnel. I look at what he did with Oweh as an example of that.