Lamar Jackson's deal is a Ravens masterpiece hiding in plain sight

USA Today

2 days ago

Lamar Jackson's deal is a Ravens masterpiece hiding in plain sight The Baltimore Ravens' best player may also be their biggest bargain.
When the NFL reaches its 200th season, new periodicals will be written. A second centennial team will be announced, we will certainly mention Baltimore Ravens legends. A team representing another century of football could very well include one Lamar Jackson. He still has work to do to make that inclusion a guarantee, but the two-time MVP knows that. The 2025-26 campaign doubles as his eighth at the professional level, and the resume is already very impressive.
Action Jackson is a two-time Bert Bell Award winner. He's a three-time First-Team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler. He led the NFL in touchdown passes tossed during the 2019 season. He led all of pro football in passer rating.
One would think an asset with that resume would be so expensive that his team could barely afford to pay his salary, but the Ravens found a way to reward brilliance without bankruptcy. On April 27, 2023, he inked a five-year contract worth $260 million with $185 million guaranteed. Two years later, that one is still being viewed as a masterclass in contract writing.
Lamar Jackson's deal with the Ravens continues to earn rave reviews.
At the time of his deal's announcement, Jackson passed Jalen Hurts as the highest-paid player in NFL history just ten days after the Philadelphia Eagles star agreed to terms in his extension. Jackson's record-setting number would be surpassed by Justin Herbet three months later, but as we enter another season of pro football, the consensus is familiar.
It's hard to fathom the Ravens getting this level of production without setting the franchise back a la Deshaun Watson's deal with the Cleveland Browns. FOX Sports' Henry McKenna recently evaluated the NFL's mega QB contracts and agreed that Baltimore is getting a steal in what they are handing to Lamar Jackson.
"Here's a guy who could easily be sitting up there with (Dak) Prescott — or, at the very least, with (Joe) Burrow and (Josh) Allen. Certainly, Jackson was sitting atop those other signal-callers when he received the AP MVP for the 2023 season, his second such award. Hate on him if you want. Compare him to (Patrick) Mahomes if you want. Jackson is one of the most dominant football players in the league. The Ravens are enjoying all that impressive play without having to pay top dollar."
While mentioning Lamar's brilliance, we are often steered in the direction of noting what is perhaps the most overstated discussion in his evaluation: his lack of success during the postseason. It's fair to ask questions. It's fair to talk about pressure or demand more of one of the league's best players. It is also fair to remind the detractors of a little NFL history.
Peyton Manning wasn't seen as a great postseason performer until he was. John Elway wasn't regarded as a great postseason performer until he proved to be one. Lamar needs that Lombardi Trophy. He knows that, and it is fair to wager that it won't elude him forever.
He has shone bright under the bright lights. He is too good and too talented to miss the mark forever, and thanks to Baltimore's ingenuity in how they have structured his deal, they have ensured themselves that they can put the proper talent around him. That's perhaps the best part of this entire story.