Report: Lamar Jackson's Injuries, Contract Guarantees Led Teams to Pass on Ravens QB

Lamar Jackson was a restricted free agent ahead of the 2023 season and seemingly had every opportunity to leave the Baltimore Ravens before agreeing to a five-year, $260 million deal with the franchise.

While a number of teams expressed interest in the 2019 MVP, it appears franchises were hesitant to pull the trigger and offer the veteran a deal due to concerns about his past injuries and possible futue injuries, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Additionally, some teams "had gripes over guaranteeing money in his contract," Russini added.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported that Jackson wanted a fully guaranteed deal after the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

The injury concerns involving Jackson may have been overblown as he has played at least 12 games in each of his six NFL seasons.

The teams that opted to pass on Jackson are likely regretting it, too, as the 26-year-old is firmly in the MVP conversation after leading the Ravens to a 12-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Jackson has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 15 games, in addition to rushing for 786 yards and five scores.

If Jackson can lead the Ravens back into the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2012 season, it'll be nothing short of an impressive accomplishment.

First, though, Baltimore must focus on closing out the regular season, and they can clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC on Sunday with a win over the Miami Dolphins.

Miami will be a tough test for Baltimore, though Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio also knows containing Jackson is going to be tough for his defense because he's a special talent.

"Yeah, fair share mobile quarterbacks? Yes. Then there's Lamar Jackson. He's unlike anybody else," Fangio told reporters. "The only other player that's been like him in the last 50 years is Michael Vick. He's a tremendous player. Kudos to Ozzie [Newsome] and Eric [DeCosta] for picking him. Thirty-one other teams that passed him by are kicking themselves. He's really improved over the years. Dynamic with the ball. Good passer. He makes their offense go."

If the Ravens do lock up the No. 1 seed, it's possible Jackson will sit out the team's regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers in order to preserve him for the playoffs.