Eric DeCosta: We’re ready to be there when Lamar…

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About a month ago, Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta said that the Ravens would work at Lamar Jackson’s urgency on a contract extension for the quarterback.

Jackson, the 2019 AP MVP, has been eligible for a new deal since the end of the 2020 season. But nothing came to fruition last offseason.

As Jackson has no agent, he’s negotiating the terms himself with DeCosta and the Ravens’ brass. But to this point, it seems there’s been no more progress on a long-term contract for the quarterback.

At the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, DeCosta said he hopes that “at some point” they’ll reach an agreement.

“I think we’ve discussed this at length, and I said this before — we will work at Lamar’s urgency,” DeCosta said. “So he and I have had ongoing discussions. We’ve talked fairly recently as well. He knows how to find me. I know how to find him.”

DeCosta added that he was pleased to see Jackson getting together with teammates on the West Coast recently, because that can help the club once the season rolls around. And DeCosta made it clear that the Ravens have plenty of interest in getting a contract done.

“He’s a guy that when we think about the Ravens three, four, five years from now, we envision Lamar being a very, very big part of that team and definitely a player that can help us win Super Bowls,” DeCosta said.

Still, as DeCosta acknowledged, both sides have to work to get the deal done.

“We are ready to be there for Lamar at any point when he decides that he really wants to work on it, and we will be,” DeCosta said.

Jackson missed the last four games of the season with an ankle injury and one game a few weeks before due to an illness. In 12 contests, he completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,882 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 767 yards with a pair of TDs.