Winners and Losers of Lamar Jackson's $260M Contract Extension with Ravens
For most of the offseason, there have been two stories that dominated the NFL: the possibility that Aaron Rodgers could be traded to the New York Jets and Lamar Jackson's contract impasse and trade request with the Baltimore Ravens.
Well, Rodgers did get traded earlier in the week. Now, Jackson's impasse is also over.
And he won't be going anywhere.
Per ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Jackson and the Ravens agreed to terms with Jackson on a five-year, $260 million pact that includes $185 million in guarantees. The deal, which is slightly larger than the extension given to Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, makes Jackson the highest-paid player in NFL history.
It rather goes without saying that becoming the highest-paid player in the history of the league makes the 2019 NFL MVP a "winner." But he's not alone in coming out of this megadeal in better shape than they were before. Conversely, there are also folks who are none too happy to see Jackson put pen to paper—and some who may well wish they had pulled out a pen before now.
As the dust settles from one whopper of a contract, here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from Jackson staying in Charm City.
Winner: Lamar Jackson
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We might as well get the most obvious winner out of the way off the jump.
Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. just got paid.
Per Kevin Patra of NFL.com, Jackson posted a video on social media proclaiming his happiness that his contract saga is over.
"You know, for the last few months, there's been a lot of he say, she say," Jackson said in a video. "A lot of nail-biting, a lot of head scratching going on, but for the next five years, it's a lot of flock going on. Let's go, baby. Let's go. Let's go, man. Can't wait to get there. Can't wait to be there. Can't wait to light up M&T (Bank Stadium) for the next five years, man. Let's get it."
Jackson's financial windfall isn't the only reason he's happy.
Staying in Baltimore was always the best-case scenario for his career.
Yes, there's a new offensive coordinator in Baltimore in Todd Monken. And a new No. 1 receiver in Odell Beckham. But Jackson knows the locker room in Baltimore. From all indications, he gets along well with head coach John Harbaugh. He's well-liked by teammates and in the community.
The Ravens have made the playoffs four of the past five seasons. Beckham is the best wideout that Jackson has ever played with.
There wasn't another situation Jackson could have landed in that would have been better.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
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All the way back in January, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed confidence while speaking to reporters that Jackson wouldn't be going anywhere this year.
"One hundred percent, 200 percent. There's no question about it," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Thursday. "Lamar Jackson is our quarterback. He's been our quarterback. Everything that we've done in terms of building our offense and building our team, how we think in terms of putting people around him is based on this incredible young man, his talent, his ability and his competitiveness."
Things got a little bumpy in the interim (OK, more than a little bumpy), but in the end Harbaugh was right.
And it's easily the best outcome to this saga for the Ravens.
Say what you will about Jackson's durability and missed time the past two years. But it's laughable to say the Ravens would in any way be better off without him.
The Ravens have a top-10 defense. A decent offensive line. JK Dobbins looked to be fully healthy at the end of last season. The addition of Beckham is potentially a huge boost to the passing game.
All the ingredients are there for a deep playoff run. But if you remove Jackson from the equation in favor of Tyler Huntley or some other stopgap, that all vanishes. The Ravens go from Super Bowl contender to also-ran.
When healthy, Jackson is maybe the most difficult player in the NFL to defend. He's 45-16 in the regular season as the starter for the Ravens.
Keeping the team's Super Bowl window open relied on keeping Jackson.
Loser: The AFC North
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If you listened intently when the news broke that Jackson and the Ravens had worked things out, you could hear expletives flowing from Cleveland. And Pittsburgh. And most assuredly from Cincinnati.
Because the last thing any of those teams wanted was for Jackson and the Ravens to kiss and make up.
The Steelers are out as contenders in the division. Period. Yes, the Steelers should once again field an excellent defense in 2023. But the Steelers also have the worst quarterback in a division loaded with big names at the position. Kenny Pickett just isn't good enough to lead the Steelers past the Browns, Ravens and Bengals.
You can stick a fork in the Browns, too. Deshaun Watson struggled last year in his first game action since 2020. And even if you believe that Watson can recapture the past form that made him arguably one of the five best quarterbacks in the game, the Browns have too many holes on both sides of the ball to hang with Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Now, to be fair, the Bengals are still the favorites in the division after winning the AFC North each of the past two seasons. Joe Burrow is a megastar in the making. The Bengals offense is loaded. The defense is better than most give it credit for.
But had Jackson left Baltimore, the division would have been the Bengals—and then everyone else. There would have been a massive gap between Cincy and everyone else.
Now, the Ravens will once again be right on the Bengals' heels. And the last time the two teams met with Jackson healthy, the Ravens won a squeaker.
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Winner: The Next Wave of QB Contracts
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Speaking of Joe Burrow, after watching the contracts signed by Jackson and Jalen Hurts, his agent has probably already placed an order for a new boat.
Because Burrow headlines a list of young quarterbacks who are about to land massive contracts.
Hurts got $51 million a season with just under $180 million guaranteed. Jackson upped that to $52 million a season with $185 million guaranteed.
So what's Burrow going to get? $54 million a season? $55 million? $200 million guaranteed? Over the past two seasons, Burrow has played as well as any quarterback in the NFL not named Patrick Mahomes. He has led the Bengals to 22 regular-season wins, posted a triple-digit passer rating both years, thrown 69 touchdown passes against just 26 interceptions and led the Bengals to two straight AFC title games and a Super Bowl.
Burrow won't be the only quarterback hitting the jackpot. Justin Herbert hasn't enjoyed the team success Burrow has, but he has a 5,000-yard season on his resume and there's no way the Chargers will even consider the possibility of him leaving. If Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars improves on last year's success and Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy this year, both will be looking at massive paydays.
Every time a quarterback raises the bar on a contract, the signal-callers who come after him benefit.
A rising tide lifts all boats and all that jazz.
Loser: The Teams Who Failed to Take a Run at Jackson
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We will never really know whether the received lack of interest in Jackson was a matter of concern about his recent injuries, a lack of quasi-collusion by owners unwilling to give another player a fully guaranteed contract, some other reason or a combo platter of all that.
There is, however, one thing we do know—there will be teams that regret sitting on their hands where Jackson is concerned.
The Indianapolis Colts will all but certainly come out of the first round of the 2023 draft with a quarterback. But that quarterback isn't a proven commodity. There's no guarantee that he will ever lead the NFL in touchdown passes. Set records. Be named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
Jackson did all that by his 25th birthday.
The Washington Commanders will need to trade up to land a high-end prospect under center this year. Washington's staff and front office can talk up Sam Howell until their lips fall off. But with Howell or Jacoby Brissett under center, the Commanders are a last-place team. Period. They will be irrelevant in the NFC East.
The Atlanta Falcons might get a quarterback this year—or not. But even in maybe the worst division in the league, the Falcons have no shot with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. The Titans could have been relevant again instead of staring up at the Jaguars in another terrible division.
They say that fortune favors the bold.
It's a saying several GMs may want to commit to memory while watching Jackson and the Ravens make the playoffs in 2023.
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