With John Harbaugh and Eric DeCosta set to speak at the scouting combine today in Indianapolis, you’d think Ravens fans would be excited to hear from them with regards to their perspective on all the future NFL talent that they’re ostensibly there to observe. And many probably are... at least to an extent. 

But it’s hard to gauge pretty much anything with this team (and the organization at large, honestly) as they continue a contract standoff with Lamar Jackson. While this has been an ongoing process that’s years old at this point, things are beginning to heat up to a level that we haven’t seen due to how close we’re getting to the March 7th franchise tag deadline. 

We’re seeing that heating process play out in a way that feels somewhat foreign to Ravens fans, as it isn’t often that this otherwise rock-solid franchise finds itself in a public dispute with a player. And yet, that appears to be where we’re trending. 

While things were all smiles, kumbaya, and gung-ho statements containing numbers like “200%” at the season ending presser featuring Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh, we’re now coming to a point where it was clear that all of it was simply a part of a game. The game within the game, that is – the high stakes Texas Hold ‘Em table of NFL contract negotiations at which DeCosta, Harbaugh, and most importantly Steve Bisciotti, all find themselves sitting at currently. 

Across from them sits Lamar Jackson and his camp of advisers, which includes the heaviest hitters on offer within the NFL Players Association. The latter are acting on Jackson’s behalf, but also recognize the weight of the situation, and what a win for Jackson in his gambit for a fully guaranteed contract a-la Deshaun Watson would mean for their constituency (i.e. all NFL players) moving forward. 

And whether it was them or someone else on Jackson’s side of the table (or even Jackson himself), it appears that their side of the table fired their first major shot across the bow in this negotiation process that’s been otherwise somewhat quiet as is the Ravens way in these situations. Stephen A. Smith recently went onto ESPN programming where he stated that he spoke with someone close to the situation with his main takeaway being that the Ravens might be attempting to lowball Jackson, and that they excluded him in their search for offensive coordinator. 

Writing today for The Athletic, Jeff Zrebiec summarily shoots down both of these notions, and goes on to argue that because Jackson has fired this shot and made certain things public, that now is the time for DeCosta to do so in turn: 

“Surely, you run the risk of offending or irritating Jackson, but where has handling the situation with kid gloves gotten you? Yes, providing information about your contract offer could help other teams if Jackson gets the non-exclusive franchise tag and has an opportunity to field outside contract offers. But does it even matter? There are no secrets in the NFL, and the type of deal Jackson has been looking for is well-documented.” 

It’s an interesting idea, and one that certainly would be about as explosive, if not more so than Jeff is suggesting. But the interesting thing to track here is not whether DeCosta pursues this course of action – but rather we see more suggestions that he does, or more hints as to what’s going on from the Ravens side of the table. 

We all know this organization, and we know how their front office operates. In all likelihood, DeCosta is going to face the media today in Indianapolis and say all the right things in regard to Lamar and this continued process - “he’s an amazing player and we’d like to keep him here forever,” “it takes two to tango,” etc. 

And perhaps this is his best course of action. Because while he does this and maintains his steady posture to the media both in Baltimore and at large, nothing will stop the well-connected reporters of the world (such as Zrebiec) from speaking on the Ravens behalf. Whether that’s an intentional op from DeCosta, or Jeff simply speaking his mind in making the comparison to the Aaron Judge standoff, the effect is the same. 

Jackson’s camp appears to have chosen a few flag bearers within the media, with Stephen A. being one of them. While that may seem objectively hilarious due to Smith having spent more of his career as a walking, talking meme than a serious reporter at this point, it can’t be denied that he has influence within this industry and is a well-connected figure in his own right. And if you’d like your side of the story to get out to as many people as possible, he’s a pretty damn good horse to bet on. 

While DeCosta will most likely continue to strike the right pose, pay attention to what other reports both local and nationwide have to say on this matter from a Ravens perspective. It’s unlikely that DeCosta would heed Jeff’s advice and ever say anything on the record that could make it seem as though they’re being dragged into a public spat with one of their star players – as is the wont of a franchise that prides itself on avoiding them – but there are ways to game the media system to keep their true thoughts circulating, and their image intact. 

And that right there is the game within the game. While we may all be sick of hearing about this, mixing business with pleasure is the unfortunate life of a sports fan – at least when the rubber begins to meet the road in a contract negotiation like this. We’ll see who, if anyone, is the winner of this poker game in hopefully a few weeks’ time, but until we know, be sure to keep in mind that the best moves will be the ones you never see coming. 

I can say with certainty that Stephen A. Smith getting into the mix was one of them. What or who will be the next surprise in this drawn-out saga? I guess we’ll find out when the next hand is dealt.