In March, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said internal conversations have taken place about a Lamar Jackson extension. Talks on that front have also been had with the two-time MVP.
“We’ve had some conversations before the draft, after the draft, in person last week,” general manager Eric DeCosta said about Jackson during an appearance on the BMore Baseball Podcast (video link). “I think we’re in the introductory sort of stage of looking at what an extension might look like.”
Three years remain on Jackson’s contract. That five-year, $260MM pact contained $185MM in guarantees and plenty of locked-in compensation remains to be paid out. $21MM in base salary is guaranteed for the coming season, and another $29MM in base pay for 2026 vested in March.
Team and player could elect to wait until next offseason to work out a third contract, especially since that’d provide the front office an opportunity to navigate the QB’s increased cap hit. Assuming that deal comes to fruition, it will likely once again reset the quarterback market, something that Harbaugh has already alluded to.
Dak Prescott‘s extension with the Cowboys made him the highest-paid NFL player of all time from an annual standpoint, as the QB’s AAV comes in at $60MM. PatrickMahomes‘ $450MM in total value still paces the position, while Josh Allen earned a position-leading $250MM in guaranteed money. It’s unlikely that Jackson will be able to top all of those categories; at the very least, he should see a significant (and potentially record-breaking) jump on the $52MM AAV he’s currently attached to.
Jackson had one of the most productive showings of his career during his age-27 season. He tossed a career-high 41 touchdowns vs. only four interceptions, and he topped 900 rushing yards for the first time since the 2020 campaign. Thanks to that showing, Jackson finished second in MVP voting.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Why?
He is a 2 time MVP with no ring who can’t hold onto to the ball in the playoffs. His ravens are a 500 playoff team when he leads them and barely above 500 in his regular season. Great athlete but not going to win a Superbowl with Lamar. IMO
But, but, he’s a multiple time MVP like Aaron Rodger’s. For the sake of the competition you MUST sign this guy to a historic contract. He’s a MVP.
Cap hit is $75 mil next year. Plus, you don’t pay the second best QB in the league like the tenth. That’s always stupid to do. Bills rightly did the same thing.
I don’t know who you think is the second best quarterback in football is but his name isn’t Jackson. Put him down at 7 or 8 and I might call you a real football fan. Heck give me Dak on a hot streak and I will ride him to a ring before 500 Jackson. Burrows, Allen,Mahomes, puts him 4 at least and I just got up so I’m groggy. Now go back to electric football and leave the evaluation of NFL talent to those like myself who on their worst day, can’t remember more,than you think you know, IMO.
S7 or 8? Lol
Yes oooOf sadly I never bought the hype. Takes way to many sacks for the occasional big play with his feet and arm. Hands like bricks. Worst decision making in clutch time of any so called top 5 quarterback I’ve seen in my 35 plus years watching this game. Completely over hyped as a leader, horrible on the sidelines. I could go on but I need a snack.
He doesn’t get sacked all that much anymore. He was tied for 24th in sacks last year. And horrible on the sidelines? Seems like you’re making stuff up.
You just have to let the crazy people rant. He should have three MVPs if people weren’t giving out pity ones last year, but this dude is like I never bought the hype like somebody is trying to convince him of what we all see every year, lmao. He probably hated Aaron Rodgers when he was destroying the league too.
Horrendous is a better word for his demaneanor on the bench. Living in charm City yes oooOf I get to see lots more than you. Seems to me it’s you making things up. You cherry pick ,I’m talking clutch time, crunch time and see no rebuttal. He takes far to many sacks , fumbles far to many times and throws far to many piks. 500 quarterback. Not a championship quarterback.
I’m cherrypicking? You said he takes way too many sacks and I pointed out the fact that he doesn’t take very many as starting quarterbacks go. It seems like you just don’t like him.
@jackson
You were right about him not being #2 but now you are starting to sound like a hater.
I’m absolutely correct Jackson is not a top 5 .
35 years and 0 ball knowledge there’s a reason you watch from the couch
Dak on a hot streak over Lamar!? Man these takes are wild
@real
Didn’t know about the $75M hit. That’s a restructure not an extension in my eyes. But I guess they were stuck. He could have refused unless he got an extension.
I mean he had one of the best seasons ever last year. They’ll rightfully reward him and add more years to the deal to lessen the hit to another year. They have a lot of balls in the air they’re juggling with Hamilton and Flowers coming up soon.
$1.7 million dollar game checks. Hard to fathom.
Didn’t they just extend him?
That’ll be three years ago now after this year.
People love to hate Lamar – but he deserves top tier money.
Its true that his worst game is a playoff game every year – but it doesn’t mean it will always be that way.
People had the same opinion of Peyton before he got one.
It just feels like people parrot what they hear without realizing the incredible hill that needs to be climbed every year to win a super bowl. There can be only 1 winner – and it by no means diminishes a QB bc they don’t have one. Its not the right bar for a team game.
It’s also silly. Jackson is so fun to watch. It’s like watching Steve Young had he played an entire career at the level he was on when he won his Super Bowl. Sometimes, I wonder do these people actually like football or just like complaining about the entertainment they claim they want.
Yes fun throwing interceptions at gruesome times or fumbling his and the ravens out of the playoffs over and over and over again. Fun is watching your team with a ring.
A QB threw an interception. Stop the presses, lmao. Mahomes threw a couple in the Super Bowl two years ago before they came back to win. Let me guess, you only respect the Super Bowl winner every year? So is Jalen Hurts the only good QB in the league?
I respect hurts at clutch time and earning his top 5 status.
Dude’s a human video game.
It’s absurd, almost comical, what he can do on a football field against the best of the best.
Lamar: “I really don’t care about Canton but I would consider it a great honor to be inducted into the HVG (human video game) Hall of Fame.”
And he’s a 500 quarterback with no ring
Funny how a 500 quarterback has a career 70-24 record.
You can’t argue he is the best qb. You get paid based off that. Transitioning it into a Super Bowl is what ever wants to see. Very rare guy that deserves top tier pay.
You can easily argue he’s not the best QB, in fact, I would challenge you to find a single objective fan or media member to claim he is the best QB.
Media already did. They named him
MVP twice.
One of only two unanimous MVPs in the history of the league with Peyton, but dude is like I don’t know about this guy, lol. He had statistically one of the greatest seasons of all time last year, but this guy is like tell me somebody who thinks he’s the best QB.
lol. The guy is 1/1 freak.
Ditto
Ask nfl players. They all say him with the ball is a problem. The only opinion that counts in these matters.
He’s a top five quarterback in football and people on here still try to act like he’s not even very good.
It’s just a couple of weirdos. Most people have finally come around and realize they’re watching greatness.
I’ll never understand the “not one of the best” argument being based on lack of SB appearances/wins.
Some of the very best HOF QBs aren’t held to that benchmark and none of them were nearly the running threat as Lamar.
Give this man the same weapons as Purdy had when he had The Avengers at full health?
pfft
fuhgedaboudit
He’s a 500 player who puts up incredible rushing numbers, decent passing numbers, hasn’t won anything and chokes at crunch time.
Some people must believe Dan Marino was a dud.
Bills, how many rings for Marino? If you don’t win the Super Bowl, what does it matter. Buffalo and Vikings have been for times each and never won. Who cares, good teams didn’t win. Only GREAT TEAMS win consistently.
Yeah it’s a difficult point to grasp isn’t it? Teams was the point. It’s why I mentioned Marino.
Does that mean Marino was terrible? Wasn’t he putting up absurd numbers in a completely different era?
Fun exercise: If you were building a franchise and had to draft a QB – how many do you think are capable of winning?
Why would you rank them the way you do?
Would you really pick Hurts over Lamar or Josh? Be honest. I suspect you would only rank players who have won one already – but that removes the context that nobody wins one until they do.
There is a reason why teams like Ravens, and Bills are favorites. But there can be only one. And it does not diminish the greatest of any of those QBs if they don’t get one.
And FYI: because its a game, I dont believe the best team always wins either. There is room for team error.
…..Unless you believe the Giants were the better team twice and that Eli is somehow in a different tier than Lamar. Which maybe you do? What do I know.
What a joke.Honor your contract.He has 3 years he has no leverage.What’s he going too do,sit out the last 3 yrs?lol
Who said he initiated it? The Ravens are the ones who need to adjust it before the $75 mil hits their cap next year.
Let’s hope this is simply about making the numbers work in a fiscal sense, as I don’t see Lamar’s style of play being possible once he reaches his 30s.
If Goodell has his way, everyone will be playing flag football by the time Lamar reaches 30… so his style of play really won’t matter 🙂