One of the many unanswered questions this NFL offseason is whether Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback and former NFL MVP, will secure a new contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal signed in 2018, which was a 4-year, $9.4 million contract with $7.5 million guaranteed.
Jackson, who was the unanimous MVP in just his second year in 2019-20, has been a Pro Bowler twice and first team All-Pro while also leading the league in touchdown passes in his MVP season. He has led the Ravens to the playoffs every year of his career, with last season being the exception due to the star quarterback being out five games as a result of an ankle bone bruise.
With contemporaries such as Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray signing massive deals worth over $230 million, the Ravens stud could be seeking a more lucrative deal, after seeing what Watson and Murray have obtained, especially considering he’s accomplished more in his career then the aforementioned.
Jackson has stated that he is giving the organization until before Week 1 to come up with an extension. He has not participated in preseason games, which may be because he is taking precautions or because the Ravens have failed to offer him a contract he finds suitable.
According to Sam Robinson of Yardbarker.com https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_ravens_were_prepared_to_pay_lamar_jackson_43m_per_year/s1_14819_37783605, the Ravens were reportedly willing to offer Jackson $43 million a year, but Jackson did not agree to it. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is being paid $45 million a year, while Buffalo Bills gunslinger, Josh Allen, is being paid $43 million annually.
With many of his contemporaries getting paid, will the Ravens give Jackson the deal he desires? Or will both sides fail to come to an agreement and force Jackson to play on the last year of his rookie deal without a contract extension?
It should make for a compelling story as the 2022-23 NFL season nears, especially considering that Jackson doesn’t have his own personal agent to communicate incentives for him, but instead, he has his mother doing it for him. If the Ravens and Jackson fail to agree, can Jackson look elsewhere, once his deal expires in 2023, to play for a different organization in need of an exuberant quarterback?
The future remains uncertain.
Yep, we have one too
