Lamar Jackson to resume contract talks with Ravens after ‘Pay Lamar’ cries

By comparison, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million deal in 2020 after winning a Super Bowl in February and the league’s most valuable player award for the season. previous, but only $141 million of that contract was guaranteed. Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson signed a five-year extension in 2022 with a guaranteed $165 million.

Jackson earned $23 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract after turning down an offer from ESPN reportedly worth $250 million, but with less guaranteed money than Russell and the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray, had negotiated.

The 2019 MVP, Jackson took a big gamble by playing the 2022 season without a long-term contract agreement because a major injury could have greatly diminished what the Ravens would have offered him post-season.

That risk became a reality in Week 13 when Jackson strained the posterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. Jackson, who is 1-3 in the playoffs, missed the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

His absence triggered skepticism of TV analystswho questioned why Jackson didn’t feel compelled to play despite an injury, and the comment of at least one teammate, veteran receiver Sammy Watkins, who publicly questioned whether Jackson was putting his contract negotiations ahead of the good of the team.

“He was very successful at the start. He won an MVP in his sophomore year. And so you know, with that thought, it’s like, ‘I want the best price,’” former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Vick said of Jackson. “And then you look around and you see what’s going on around you, who’s getting paid around you, and it becomes a thing on your mind for all the right reasons. You should feel like, ‘I got more accolades than him, so I should get paid more.’

Jackson has been compared to Vick since he was at University of Louisville because of their elite speed and agility at quarterback. And since Jackson’s been in the NFL, he’s proven those comparisons to be solid, breaking Vick’s records for single-season rushing yards, with 1,206 in 2019, and 100-yard rushing games, with 12 in the course. of the 2022 season. Vick recalls facing many of the same criticisms of his running style that Jackson does now and getting the same support from players in the league before signing a contract with the Eagles in 2011 that was worth $100 million.