Ravens GM: 'We Will Work Tirelessly' to Get Lamar Jackson's New Contract Done

John Munson/Associated Press

The Baltimore Ravens decided to exercise the fifth-year option on Lamar Jackson's contract, but the franchise wants to keep him around for longer.

General manager Eric DeCosta told reporters Saturday that the team "will work tirelessly to get a deal done" with the 24-year-old, whom the Ravens selected at No. 32 overall in 2018.

As it stands, Jackson is under contract through 2022. He will count for $3 million against the cap this year before a massive $23 million payout in his final season, per Spotrac.

DeCosta said he viewed Jackson's contract as one of the next things on his to-do list, but he wanted to get past the NFL draft first. The Ravens added eight players in the draft by way of two wide receivers, two edge-rushers, two defensive backs, an offensive lineman and a tight end.

Jackson appeared in 16 games as a rookie in 2018 but broke out in 2019 when he started 15 games and earned a first-team All-Pro selection. He threw for 36 touchdowns to lead the league, with 3,127 passing yards and 1,206 rushing.

He didn't post those sorts of numbers in 2020, going for 2,757 passing yards, 26 scores and 1,005 rushing yards. But he was still the most important asset on a Ravens team that went 11-5.

He is the only quarterback to post two 1,000-yard rushing campaigns.

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"He's very determined and we're very determined to prove those people wrong but also to pave a new path and show what's possible with a different type of a skill set," head coach John Harbaugh said on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday. "How that is exactly going to look when it's all said and done, that's what we're gonna find out."