 Negotiations are fun. Negotiations can get very stressful. Negotiations are always interesting. Speaking from experience, and I know a lot of y'all have experience doing negotiations as well. When you first are trying to get hired for a job, you have to negotiate what the compensation is gonna be because the job has one thing that they say they wanna pay you. You have something else that you may wanna get paid and then you too try to meet in the middle. Or if you're working at a job, then you could have something that you're getting paid and you could feel like, hey, you know what? I deserve more, I deserve to be paid this much and the company could be like, well, we'll see about that. And you enter that state of negotiations. And with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, it is no different. He's been working for these Baltimore Ravens for these past five years and he obviously feels like he needs to be paid more. He should be paid more. And the time is ticking. I mean, really times up for him to be paid more. And we'll see what happens with that in the very, very near future cause they have some decisions to be made, both the Ravens and Lamar Jackson. But there are some people who feel like right now, while Lamar Jackson has been out that him possibly sitting out even more, him being out even more, not even due to injury, but some people think he's out due to contract negotiations, due to really trying to show the Ravens his worth. And we're gonna get into that in a second, but first I gotta give a special shout out to the newest Team Keep It Clean Patron. My guy, William B, appreciate you very much. And also gotta give a shout out to the newest Team Keep It Clean channel members, Big Ridge and Wolfie Johnson. So thank you to the three of y'all for supporting the channel just a little bit extra. Thank you a lot for that, seriously. I always appreciate Team Keep It Clean because y'all just, y'all show love all the time in so many different ways. So a lot of love, I gotta reciprocate that back to y'all. So thank you for doing that. Now, first question in this episode, quick episode two, it came from my guy, BB. He said, is Lamar sitting out and waiting on Hallbaugh to possibly drop these last three games to be dealt with accordingly? This regime has to end Ravens ruining a generational talents career. Hashtag Team Keep It Clean, hashtag blank check. So is Lamar sitting out these games to waiting on Hallbaugh to possibly drop him? So things could be dealt with accordingly. I don't think that's the case. I don't think that's the case because I think him coming back, like him, every time he's out, like we always get reminders of how valuable he is to the Baltimore Ravens when he's in, but then when he's out, you get an even bigger reminder. So I don't think it should take these next three games of him being out for the Ravens to be like, oh, man, that guy Lamar J. Wow, he's really valuable to our franchise. I don't think it should take that. And as far as you're talking about for Hallbaugh to possibly drop him and be dealt with accordingly. Now, depending on what you mean by dealt with accordingly, is Hallbaugh gonna get fired? No, no, he ain't going nowhere. We know that. And especially right now, a lot depends on how these last three games go, but like we said before, it's gonna take the Ravens more work to miss the playoffs than it would take for them to actually get in the playoffs. The game last night, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Jets, the Jets dropped that one. It was an ugly game that helps the Ravens. So Ravens are already getting help. You know, Ravens, they don't normally get help around this time, but Ravens are getting help. So like I said, it's gonna take more work for them to miss than to make. But Ravens are not in a position. Well, yeah, they're not in a position to fire Hallbaugh right now. Not at nine and five, not at the brink of the playoffs. It just, it wouldn't make sense if they did something like that right now. And we know it's not gonna happen right now anyway. So they gotta see how this playoff goes as long as they do get in. It is still a possibility that they don't, but most likely they're gonna get in. But they gotta see how it goes. How things go when Ravens get to the playoffs, how players play, how coaches coach and whatnot. But I mean, I think we all know Hallbaugh's leech is longer than anybody's on this team. Longer than any single body, any single player, any single other coach, Hallbaugh has the longest leech on this team. So I don't think Lamar sitting out these, if he was sitting out, not even due to health, but if you were sitting out due to just trying to show the Ravens something, what's it gonna show them that they don't already know? Well, what's it gonna show them that hasn't already been proven? I feel like that it wouldn't even do anything. It was just, I mean, these Ravens are who they are and they aren't who they aren't. You knew who you are with Lamar, you know what you are without Lamar. And it's two completely different teams. So he obviously gives you the best chance to win right here, right now. Now, if you're talking about the way that the Ravens move, I don't think him sitting out would change anything either because he missed those last four, five, six games last year and then they went into this off season and nothing changed about the way that they move or operated the philosophy, anything like that. So what would him sitting out this season, the rest of this season do to really change anything? And he said, this regime has to end Ravens' ruin in a generational talents career. Now that part, I can't argue with that one. Yeah, this feels like a dream. Oh, just what I made. You two team keep it clean. You see my boy, he like got him made it, got him made it. Well, that's my homie. Ain't that right in Ravens? Right in Ravens. Next question came from a team keep it clean, Patron of my guy, Keon. He said, when will we find Andy Isabella? That's the mystery question, my friend. You would know better than any of us. Lamar's contract negotiations. Next question came from my guy, Dawon. He said, I appreciate Lamar in his inner circle trying to negotiate his contract, but with agents, I think this will probably have been done. Hear me out. Okay, I love these agent questions, but anyway. He said, number one, yes, Lamar has advisors and they're giving him advice, but they're not at the table with Ravens Brass. That's true, they're not. It's Lamar at the table with Ravens Brass. So it's Lamar speaking to the Ravens directly. So Lamar, while they can be straight up with him, like, hey, this is it. This is what we want to offer you, da-da-da-da. He can be straight up with them too. Ain't no beating around the bush. It's straightforward. You got to be blunt about this thing. And me, I definitely appreciate that. Yeah, middleman is cool or whatever. They sort of soften the blow. They soften the blow both ways, though, with Lamar Jackson and him talking directly to EDC, Bishadi and them. Ain't no blows to be softening. Going both ways, whether it's to Lamar to them or them to Lamar. So you got to be straight up. Anyway, number two, with an agent, he represents Lamar and serves as a buffer between Lamar and the Ravens front office. The agent is paid to basically break down why Lamar deserves what he wants and does the dirty work, which gives Lamar time to focus on football. With Lamar doing things himself, I'll get what you're saying too. Lamar could be like, hey, I'm gonna take care of football. You take care of the contract stuff. And that's cool, that's great. And that works for anybody who it works for. But with Lamar doing things himself, he can still do both. He can focus on football, as he said he was. Because remember, hey, we gonna try to get the contract done by week one. If we not doing it by week one, then I'm focusing on football, not focusing on the contract. And here we are. We're a week, what, 15, 16, whatever week we in. And the contract obviously hadn't been done. So he said, oh, we'll talk about it next off season. And that's it, that's it. So that allows him to focus on football. Then once the off season hits, then he can talk contract again. He can resume the talks. So it's, yeah, that's part two. Anyway, number three, an agent can be aggressive. And during negotiations, it could be a lot of emotions involved due to the fact that the NFL is a business and the team wants to pay you as less as possible. That's true. Even though you might think you are worth more with Lamar and his mom, I guess, talking to the Ravens for an office, if they might get offended if they low ball him or downplay his value. They are well aware of all of that. Because everything you're saying is true. The Ravens are gonna try to pay him as low as possible. He is gonna try to get as much as possible. And this is where with negotiations, you're gonna have to find some wiggle room. If this is, if you're gonna remain with this team, if you're gonna come to an agreement, usually there's some wiggle room on both sides. When the team might have to pay up more, somebody might have to take up a little bit less. He might get more, you just never know. But that's part of negotiations. Now you mentioned, and I've heard other people mention this too, about the emotional part. You said Lamar and his mom, they may get offended. If Lamar, if the Ravens offer Lamar, if they sorta try to low ball him or something. Okay, but the Ravens could also, they could get offended. Like, we can't just act like Lamar Jackson and his mom and his people are the only humans that are involved in these contract negotiations. Eric Acosta is a human too. He ain't no robot. Steve Bishati is a human as well. He ain't no robot. A lot of people make it seem like Lamar Jackson and his mom and his people, like they will be negotiating with like robots or something. And that's it. No, no, it's real people on both sides of this thing. So real emotions could come from both sides of this thing, not just from Lamar's side, but from the Raven side as well. Now, while the Ravens obviously have much more experience in the negotiating field, that does not take out. That emotions are certainly involved, especially with Ravens being such a family oriented organization. And that's a great thing, but it can also backfire too, because if you're so family oriented, that's beautiful. I love that and I appreciate it and I respect it. But at the same time, that can make it harder to make the hard decisions that you should really be making. But we could talk about that another time. But anyway, number four, you said, yeah, I understand you might save a couple of meals by negotiating your own contract, but this is a huge contract. And think, and I would think maybe to get an agent for my first big contract. Think about this. Who was Lamar's agent when he signed his NFL deal? Who was running the show? Who told him not to even run the 40, because teams wouldn't respect him as a quarterback? Who was that? Who has been with Lamar Jackson every step of the way throughout his entire career, not just professional, not just collegiate, not just high school, but every step of the, who has been there? It's been his mom. And has she led him down the wrong path yet? Has she had him make some bad decisions yet? No, she hasn't. So why would he be like, all right, mom, thank you for everything. You done got me here. You done been so important, so valuable, so crucial up to this point in my life, especially as my agent, you've been holding it down, mom, thank you so much. But now I'm gonna go in a different direction. What would that be? It just, it wouldn't make sense. She hasn't blundered anything. She hasn't messed up anything thus far. So why would he change? Oh, you know what, let me get an agent now. And I know some people be like, well, the agents, they got all the experience. Well, how was she gonna get experience? How was she gonna gain that experience? It's like with a job. Like jobs when you go to interview. So you have any experience in this department? You have any experience in this area of work? And you're like, no, but I'm trying. Oh, okay, well, thank you for coming in. We appreciate you. And it's like, how do you expect me to get experience in this field if you're not gonna give me experience in this field? And with, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that she's learning on a goal. And I'm sure they got, like you mentioned, advisors and whatnot that are showing them stuff along the way. But he has no reason to be like, oh, you know what? After everything you've done for me, mom, you know what? I'ma just, I'ma go get an agent. And not even just on a personal level, but even on a professional level. Because again, she has not steered him in the wrong direction thus far. Why would she do it now? Is this worth a lot of money? And I'm gonna say it's a lot of money. This deal could break records. This could be the biggest deal ever, ever, ever. But I'm sure they got plenty of people around that are helping them out. And they're learning plenty along the way. And this could break down so many doors and open so many doors for them, not only now, but for the future. What if she wants to start up her own agency in the future? What if he wants to start up his own agency in the future? They're learning so much now with this whole negotiation process and everything that they're gonna have so much information. They're gonna be able to retain so much information from this thing where it can set them up now and really just forever. Oh, Bashiri, hold up there, buddy. He said, choose one. If you had to choose, who would you fire? EDC Hobbs or G-Roll and why? Whoa there, buddy. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Well, first, I will wait till the end of this season, the end of the playoffs, the end of whatever Raven season ends. For me, if I had to choose one, it will probably be the one in the middle. That would be Hobbs. The reason I would say it would be Hobbs is because Eridikas has a GM. He follows Hobbs's lead when it comes to roster construction and Hobbs's philosophy. G-Roll would be part of Hobbs, so G-Roll, he would end up going if Hobbs end up going too. And then I would just, I would start a new philosophy with a new coach. But again, you said, who would I choose if I had to choose? I didn't say I would necessarily choose that, but y'all know I'm all for new philosophy though. And the last question on this episode, and he literally like just sent this like just now as I'm recording this, but this is the last question on this episode. And then I will see you all for the Falcons and Ravens game tomorrow at 1 p.m. Or maybe I put this out on Saturday morning, but probably Friday afternoon. Anyway, he said, hey, how you doing? My name is Will, and I've been a lifelong Ravens fan, born and raised in Baltimore. And I'm gonna say this, I think it's really wrong how the Ravens are treating Lamar. He's a special talent, and we need him as a quarterback more than the front office knows. They need to pay that man, but if they don't, I would not blame Lamar for leaving the Baltimore Ravens because business is business. And if their front office can't see what they got in Lamar, then something is wrong with them. Honey is a good quarterback, but he is no Lamar Jackson and it shows. That's all I have to say for now. Peace and blessings to you, my brother. Go Ravens. Shout out to Will, man. Appreciate you, Will. And you're right. You're right. Lamar is Lamar and Ravens, they gotta wake up and smell the Lamar coffee. That's cringey as that sound. I don't need to ever say that again. But anyway, yeah, they gotta get it right, man. They gotta get it right, but it just seemed like so many different signs are pointing to Lamar's last ride with the team. Yeah, this feels like a dream. No chance, but I made you two team. Keep it clean. You see my boy, he like out of made it. Well, that's my homie. Ain't that right in Raven? Right in Raven. Shout out to Raven.