2023-05-04 21:10:00
Jamison HensleyReading: 6 min.
New contract with Ravens, Lamar Jackson’s only real option
The agreement between NFL owners not to give guaranteed contracts once more and Jalen Hurts forced the QB to accept Baltimore’s latest offer.
The Ravens quarterback officially signed the contract that makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history
But, Jackson revealed that he has a more ambitious number in mind, within the renewed offensive of the Ravens.
“I want to throw for 6,000 yards with the weapons we have,” he said. Jackson laughing. “I’m not an individual awards guy, or someone who focuses on statistics. I just want to do it because no one has done it, and I feel like we have the weapons to do it.”
Jackson he’s never surpassed 3,200 passing yards in his career, but he’s clearly excited that Baltimore put together the strongest receiving group of his career. The Ravens signed to Odell Beckham Jr. y Nelson Agholor in free agency, and then drafted Zay Flowers with shift No. 22 overall.
The final piece for the airstrike of the Ravens was a long-term agreement with Jackson. According to a source, he set new league records for signing bonus ($72.5 million), money in the first three years of a contract ($156 million) and average per season ($52 million). Jackson also received a clause that prevents a new franchise tag, as well as a no-trade clause, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
The agreement ended 27 months of challenging negotiations between the Ravens y Jacksonwho did not employ an agent and represented himself. Jackson declined to discuss his request to be transferred from Baltimorefrom early May, signaling that he wanted to focus on fulfilling his draft-day promise of delivering a championship to the Ravens.
“I don’t really care regarding the other teams, I wanted to be here. I want to be a Raven“, exposed Jackson. “I said something in 2018 and I meant it. I wanted to get it done before my time is up, and I go do something else. I really want to finish my career here and win a Super Bowl here”.
Jackson had long sought to exceed the $230 million in guaranteed money that the quarterback Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns last year, according to sources. But the Ravens They insisted that the agreement Watson it was an exception, and not a contractual precedent in the league.
One source said the deal Jalen Hurtswhich included $179.5 million guaranteed, bolstered the market value for quarterbacks, something that played in favor of Jackson. Also, there was the possibility that Baltimore selected a quarterback in the first round of last year’s draft, which presumably would have ended contract negotiations with Jackson.
So, two days before the start of the draft last week, Jackson sent a text message to the general manager of the Ravens, Eric DeCostareporting that he liked the language of the club’s latest contract proposal, adding that he thought an agreement might be reached.
“I absolutely wanted to shut it down, because I was tired of going back and forth,” he admitted. Jackson. “We’ve been doing it for years, but it kind of was time. The numbers were good, and we’re pleased.”
Jackson26 years old, turned the Ravens following being the last recruit of the first round of the Draft 2018leading to Baltimore to the playoffs in his first three seasons. It was a unanimous selection for NFL Most Valuable Player in 2019, when he led the league in touchdown passes (36) and set the league record for rushing yards for a quarterback (1,206).
His 45-16 (.738) career mark is fourth-best for any starting quarterback to debut in the game era. Super Bowl. Baltimore he is 8-13 (.381) without him over the past five years.
Although the managers of the Ravens remained optimistic that they might agree with JacksonThey admitted that the negotiations weighed heavily on the franchise.
“There were some dark days. I mean, I’m not going to lie to you and say every day was great; it’s been a long stretch,” he noted. DeCosta. “But we know Lamar, we know the kind of person he is and a phenomenal football player. But, you don’t make a phenomenal football player the highest paid player in the league. You turn a phenomenal football player, who is also a phenomenal person, into the highest paid player in the league. And so, we had great conviction that it was the right thing to do.”
DeCosta praised Jackson for the way he represented himself during the negotiations, describing him as “patient, demanding, honest and straight-forward”. But, there were long periods where the parties did not speak.
“It wasn’t always easy,” he revealed. DeCosta. I prefer to deal with Lamar Jackson the player, I think, but in the end, we were just Lamar and me chatting, texting, emailing, trying to reach an agreement.”
Jackson He’s signed through 2027, but the parties may have to renegotiate the deal following the 2025 season, when his salary-cap number jumps to $74.5 million. He plans to continue representing himself in the future.
“I would not put my faith in anyone except myself,” he said. Jackson.
Jackson still has a lot to achieve. He is 1-3 in the playoffs, and has come back as a passer the past two seasons (33 touchdowns and 20 interceptions). Jackson He has also missed 10 of the last 22 games in Baltimore due to injury, although he said he had fully recovered for a month from the injury that ended his last season.
But following signing his record-breaking contract, he felt a sense of accomplishment, going from a highly questioned quarterback prospect in 2018 to the highest-paid player in the league. NFL today.
“It’s just showing me that I’m right. It’s regarding believing in yourself, at the end of the day,” he explained. Jackson. “No matter what I went through, no matter how it seemed like I had my back once morest the wall, when people doubted me even more than before, I just kept the faith and now we’re here.”
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