Can the Colts get Lamar Jackson without offering him a fully guaranteed deal?

Will the Indianapolis Colts be able to get Lamar Jackson to sign an offer sheet if Jim Irsay doesn’t want to offer the quarterback a fully guaranteed deal?

On Monday morning, Indianapolis Colts fans’ hopes were extremely high because Lamar Jackson had made his trade request public. With Indianapolis being the favorite to land Jackson, fans were basking in optimism, hopeful that the Colts would trade for Jackson. However, by Monday night, that hope started to fade after some words from Indy’s team owner, Jim Irsay.

Irsay was asked by media members how he felt about fully guaranteed contracts, and he took a clear stand. Irsay said that he’s against fully guaranteed deals and pointed to the NBA and MLB as reasons why fully guaranteed contracts for players could be bad for the business of the NFL.

The reason this is relavent is because it has been rumored that Lamar Jackson is seeking a fully guaranteed deal. Several reports have been made about how Jackson would like a contract similar to the one that the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson. If Irsay isn’t willing to offer a fully guaranteed contract, do the Colts even have a chance of acquiring Lamar Jackson?

The answer is yes, because it also has been reported that Jackson never asked for a fully guaranteed deal. So maybe, Indy could come to terms on a deal with Lamar Jackson.

Colts can get Lamar Jackson without a fully guaranteed contract

Ian Rapoport provided some clarity in an appearance on The Pat Mcafee Show, and he explained that Jackson isn’t necessarily seeking a fully guaranteed contract, but he does want a lot of guaranteed money. Those are two different things in the NFL contract world. The difference could be what keeps the Colts in the race for Lamar Jackson.

While Irsay doesn’t believe in fully guaranteed contracts, he has shown that he doesn’t mind paying a lot of money to elite quarterbacks. In 2004, the Colts gave Peyton Manning a seven-year extension worth $99.2 million. While that doesn’t seem like a lot compared to today’s contracts, it’s was a record deal at the time.

Jim Irsay and the Colts went on to create more contract history in 2016, when they signed Andrew Luck to a five-year extension worth $122 million. Luck’s deal, that had $87 million guaranteed, was the largest contract in NFL history at the time. Of course, contracts, especially quarterback contracts, have only ballooned since then.

Signing Lamar Jackson would probably take a deal the size of Luck’s 2016 contract and Manning’s 2004 deal combined. However, the exact price isn’t necessarily the point here. The point is that Jim Irsay and the Colts have always been willing to reset the market when locking in a special quarterback to a multi-year deal.

ESPN’s Stephen Holder even reported that Irsay doesn’t necessarily see money as a problem when it comes to acquiring Lamar Jackson, and Irsay admitted that draft capital could be a much bigger hold up. So for the fans holding out hope that Lamar Jackson will ultimately join the Colts, don’t let Irsay’s comments about guaranteed contracts crush the dream.

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