Last season, Lamar Jackson may have faced a major injustice. Once again, he led his team to a division title in the AFC North, putting up impressive stats with 4,172 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. The injustice? He didn’t win the MVP award, which would have been the third of his already remarkable career.
In the end, the MVP went to Josh Allen, despite putting up worse numbers than Jackson. While Allen did have a great season, the clear favorite for the award was the Baltimore Ravens quarterback. Even so, Jackson remains one of the top players in the league, and many would argue he might even be the best.
Now, if you’re reading this and someone tells you that there are nine quarterbacks in the NFL paid more than Lamar Jackson, would you believe it? Probably not – but it’s true. Jackson is currently the 10th highest-paid quarterback in the league. That may seem like a huge injustice, but it’s something that could change by next offseason at the latest – maybe even sooner.
Lamar wouldn’t mind being the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL
In 2023, Lamar Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million deal with $185 million guaranteed. A key point in that contract is that his salary cap hit will jump to $74.5 million in 2026, which is financially unsustainable.
The only way to resolve that situation is to extend Jackson’s contract. This would also ensure that the Ravens keep one of the league’s best quarterbacks for the long term.
At a recent press conference during Ravens training camp, Jackson was asked how negotiations for his new deal were going, and he declined to give any details:
“I never discuss contract situations here,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”. However, when asked whether he liked the idea of becoming the highest-paid player, he smiled and replied: “Sounds good”.
Currently, the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL is Dak Prescott, who makes $60 million per year – a number that seems unfair if your name is Lamar Jackson. So in a few months, if nothing unexpected happens, expect Lamar to jump from 10th to 1st on the salary list – which would be only fair for arguably the best player in the league.
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