3 Instant Reactions to Lamar Jackson's Reported $260M Contract with Ravens

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson bet on himself and won big.

The 2019 NFL MVP is the proud owner of a reported five-year, $260 million deal ($185 million guaranteed) that will make him the highest-paid player in football based on average annual value, per CBS Sports' Josina Anderson.

Jackson requested a trade in March less than a week before the Ravens placed the franchise tag on him. The sides still had until mid-July to get a long-term deal done, and they made it happen with plenty of time to spare.

Jackson, who represents himself, will stay with the Ravens after plenty of chatter that he could be heading elsewhere.

Here's a look at three instant reactions to the move.

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Is DeAndre Hopkins Next?

Rumors have been swirling about the Ravens potentially adding Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. 105.7 The Fan's Reet Manfred had this to say Wednesday.

Jackson's new deal may give Baltimore the cap flexibility to make such a move.

As Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team explained, Jackson's $32.4 million cap number for 2023 will drop.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports noted the possibility as well.

The Ravens had $608,855 in effective cap space before the Jackson deal, per Over the Cap. Hopkins carries a $29.9 million cap number for 2023, so there would need to be some maneuvering to fit him under the cap, but he's certainly worth it given his tremendous talent.

If the trade goes down, the Ravens will have a great pass-catching quartet featuring Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews. That will be very difficult for teams to contend with on a weekly basis.

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Jackson Gets Deserved Deal

Jackson finally got the money he long deserved as one of the game's best quarterbacks.

The Ravens have made the playoffs in four of Jackson's five seasons and have gone 45-16 in his starts. He won an NFL MVP award in his first full season as a starter.

And he did all this for a team that typically doesn't invest much (either in draft capital or free-agent dollars) in wide receivers and tight ends.

Critics can point to the fact that injuries have prevented him from finishing each of the last two seasons, or that there's concern about his long-term ability to play given how much he runs the football.

That is overcomplicating the situation. In the present day, Jackson is a winning quarterback who's capable of leading the Ravens to the Super Bowl. The road there will be tough given the immense amount of talent in the AFC, but Jackson has done all he can do thus far and deserved to reset the market given his tremendous success.

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Super Bowl Window Stays Open in Baltimore

The Ravens very well could have beaten the 2021 AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card Round had Sam Hubbard not executed one of the biggest in-game swings in recent playoff memory with a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an eventual 24-17 win.

Baltimore hung tough against a great team despite not having Jackson. With him, the Ravens clearly could have won that game and perhaps made a run for the Lombardi Trophy.

The pieces are in place around Jackson for the Ravens to stay relevant in the Super Bowl picture. Running back J.K. Dobbins looked great coming off a torn ACL (5.7 YPC). Andrews was one of the league's top tight ends once again.

On defense, Baltimore has excellent linebackers (e.g. Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen) and defensive backs (e.g. Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams) who should keep the back end strong.

And now Jackson will remain in town, cementing the Ravens as a Super Bowl contender once again.