American football quarterback Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). After two seasons of college football at Louisville, during which he won the Heisman Trophy, he was taken by the Ravens with the last pick of the first round in the 2018 NFL Draft.
After Joe Flacco was injured during his rookie season, Lamar Jackson took over as quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson led the team to a division title and became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to start a playoff game.
Jackson topped the NFL in touchdown passes and rushed for more yards than any quarterback in history the next season, leading the Ravens to the AFC North title (AFC). As a result of his accomplishments, he became the fourth African-American quarterback and the second black player overall to earn the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Jackson led the Ravens to a third straight playoff berth after his MVP season, and he also became the first quarterback in NFL history with multiple seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards.
Controversy
In spite of the fact that Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have kept their contract talks under wraps, league insiders estimate that Jackson turned down a $250 million offer.
The Ravens reportedly refused to give Jackson a fully guaranteed contract like Deshaun Watson’s, and the two teams agreed to put off contract talks until after the 2022 season.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, sources say the Ravens offered Jackson a six-year contract that would have paid him a higher average salary and more guaranteed money than the contracts signed this summer by quarterbacks Russell Wilson of the Broncos and Kyler Murray of the Cardinals.
Approximately six weeks after Murray obtained a $230.5 million deal averaging $46 million per year and including $189.5 million guaranteed, Wilson signed a $242.5 million agreement that averaged $48.5 million annually and included $161 million guaranteed.
However, reports say that neither Wilson’s nor Murray’s contract was the main problem for Jackson; rather, it was Watson’s. According to our sources, Jackson wanted to match the $230 million guaranteed contract that the Browns gave to Watson.
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According to Mortensen’s Sources
The Ravens’ offer includes a signing bonus of $133 million, which is higher than the yearly salaries of Wilson ($124 million) and Murray ($103.3 million), but significantly less than Watson’s $230 million.
While relying on his mom and the NFLPA, Jackson served as his own agent in the discussions. The NFLPA provided Jackson with statistics, information, counsel, and a sounding board.
According to sources cited by Mortensen, Jackson, 25, was persuaded by the union that his performance and age gave him grounds to request a completely guaranteed contract. Union sources characterized the Ravens’ negotiations with Jackson as “good faith,” despite the fact that the organization contained annual de-escalator clauses worth $2.5 million if Jackson did not attend a significant portion of offseason training.
After Jackson’s request for a complete guarantee was rejected by the Ravens, the team stated on Friday that contract talks between the two parties had been suspended until the end of the season.
After this season, Jackson has no guaranteed salary and will be paid $23.016 million on his fifth-year option. If the sides are unable to reach an extension agreement after the season, the Ravens are anticipated to use the franchise tag on Jackson, preventing him from entering free agency. Jackson is the favorite to win the 2019 league MVP award.
By betting everything on himself, Jackson is taking a gamble on himself identical to that of former Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who will start for the Jets on Sunday when they visit Baltimore. After leading Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory, Flacco’s contract was up and he was rewarded by becoming one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.
Last week, Jackson was questioned if he thought it was risky to play with no guaranteed money beyond this season. Jackson has taken more hits (737) than any other quarterback since 2018.
“It was a significant gamble in the previous season. In the prior year, “According to what Jackson stated on 3/13. “Okay, I’m just out here playing football. There is no telling what might occur. I pray nothing bad occurs.”
In Four NFL Seasons, Jackson Has Established Himself as A Top Performer and Winner
The Ravens are 37-12 (.755) in games he has started this season, while they are 2-5 (.286) in games he has not started. In 2019, he was selected as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by a unanimous vote.
However, Jackson is coming off his most difficult season in 2021, in which he threw a career-worst 13 interceptions and missed a career-high five games, the final four of which were due to an ankle ailment.
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Professional Career
It was revealed on January 5 that Jackson would be participating in the 2018 NFL Draft. Draft analysts questioned Jackson’s quarterback skills and suggested he play wide receiver instead, but the former was set on pursuing quarterback as a career.
To highlight his passing abilities, he chose to skip the 40-yard dash and other activities at the NFL Scouting Combine. Jackson allegedly ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.34 seconds in 2017 while attending Louisville, which would have been the fastest time ever recorded by an NFL quarterback.
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