Lamar Jackson Rumors: Ravens Offered Similar Guarantees as Jalen Hurts' New Contract

The Lamar Jackson situation remains in limbo, but Jalen Hurts' new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles provides a framework for how a deal with the Baltimore Ravens could look.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Monday that Philadelphia gave Hurts a five-year, $255 million contract extension, which made him the highest-paid player in league history.

Rapoport then appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and explained Baltimore's offer for Jackson featured similar injury guarantees:

ESPN's Kimberley A. Martin echoed similar sentiments when she reported on This Just In: "From talking to league sources, the proposal that the Ravens gave Lamar back in September is pretty comparable to what Jalen Hurts got. The new money per year was about the same: $50 million to 51. The Ravens offered Lamar more fully guaranteed money by Year 2 of that proposed deal, like $168 million."

Injury guarantees like the ones Rapoport mentioned are always going to be notable on a new, significant deal, but that may be even more the case with an offer for Jackson.

After all, the Louisville product is a quarterback who uses his legs and speed to make plays as a runner. While it is a major reason he is one of the most dangerous playmakers in the league, it also leaves him vulnerable to injuries at times.

He missed a combined 10 regular-season games for Baltimore the past two years and was sidelined during its playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that ended its 2022 campaign.

Still, Jackson remains a franchise quarterback when healthy at just 26 years old with a resume that includes the 2019 NFL MVP and two Pro Bowl selections. He has largely been the face of the Ravens since they selected him with a first-round draft pick in 2018, but there hasn't been much progress on a potential deal this offseason.

Instead, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, which allows him to negotiate with other teams but also gives the Ravens the chance to match any offers or receive two first-round picks back in return if they don't.

Philadelphia clearly had no interest in eventually going down a similar road with Hurts and made sure he would remain the face of its franchise for years to come with this new deal.

The timing isn't particularly surprising considering he just led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, and the team surely hopes he will build on that progress and eventually bring home a Lombardi Trophy over the course of the contract extension.