KEY POINTS
- Lamar Jackson has outright denied the involvement of a certain Ken Francis in his free agency
- Fans have begun comparing Francis to the mysterious NFL figure that is Saint Omni
- Francis confirms that his only business dealing with Jackson extends to portable gym equipment only
The offseason has been dominated by players switching teams either via trade or free agency, but none have been as big as the seemingly never-ending saga of Lamar Jackson’s future.
After an entire year of contract negotiations, the Baltimore Ravens and the 2019 unanimous NFL MVP could not come to terms which forced the franchise to use their non-exclusive franchise tag earlier in the month.
In layman’s terms, it means that Jackson can freely negotiate with other teams beginning March 13 and agree to a deal with another franchise on March 15 which has led to a new development that was recently revealed.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero posted a memo from the NFL Management Council to tell teams to stay away from an “uncertified” agent representing Jackson named Ken Francis as any deal made through him “may result in disapproval of any offer sheet.”
In a clarification tweet, Pelissero revealed that the mysterious Francis is a “Florida man who most recently was pitching a home fitness invention” and that he is “trying to negotiate a nine-figure contract with NFL teams.”
As the NFL world began digging into whether Francis is a legitimate person or not, Jackson himself came out to dispute the rumors and shut it all down.
“Stop lying. That man never tried to negotiate for me,” Jackson wrote in response after quote tweeting Pelissero’s second statement.
How everything is happening for Jackson’s free agency certainly is a mystery, especially with the involvement of the unknown variable that is Francis to the point that many have been comparing him to the mythical figure that is Saint Omni.
For those not in the know, Omni has become the stuff of legends in the NFL world after allegedly being the figure responsible for getting stars such as Laremy Tunsil and Roquan Smith their big-money deals with the Houston Texans most recently and Roquan Smith with getting his trade out of the Chicago Bears.
Omni, according to reports, is a director of football at LifeLine Financial Group, but no one has been able to get ahold of his identity on social media–effectively making him a ghost of sorts.
Whether that is the case with Jackson and Francis is of another matter as ESPN NFL correspondent Jeremy Fowler got in touch with the enigma that is Francis and got him to confirm that he does not represent Jackson.
However, Francis also revealed that he is only business partners with Jackson on “portable gym equipment and that’s the extent of their business dealings” according to the same report.
The only thing that fans are concerned about at this point, especially those in Baltimore, is whether Jackson decides to stay with the team that made him into a superstar or takes his talents elsewhere as the offseason continues to trudge forward.