Lamar Jackson has decided on his future in the NFL. On Monday the Baltimore Ravens announced the superstar quarterback has agreed to a five-year contract extension after 27 months of negotiations. According to ESPN, the new contract is worth $260 million making him the highest-paid player in the NFL. Additionally, the deal includes $185 million in guaranteed money.
“For the last few months, there’s been a lot of he said, she said. A lot of nail-biting, a lot of head scratching going on,” Jackson said in a video Thursday afternoon. “But for the next five years, it’s a lot of Flock going on. Let’s go, baby. Let’s go. Let’s go, man. Can’t wait to get there, can’t wait to be there. Can’t wait to light up M&T for the next five years, man. Let’s get it.”
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In March, the Ravens placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Jackson, which allowed him to talk to other NFL teams. However, no teams publicly showed interest in him despite being one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And on March 27, things took an interesting turn when Jackson revealed he asked for a trade just before Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting.
“There have been many instances across the league and in Baltimore when a player has been designated with the franchise tag and signed a long-term deal that same year. We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar, and we are hopeful that we can strike a long-term deal that is fair to both Lamar and the Ravens,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement last month. “Our ultimate goal is to build a championship team with Lamar Jackson leading the way for many years to come.”
Jackson, 26, was selected by the Ravens No. 32 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He became the full-time starter in 2019 and won the NFL MVP award after throwing for 3,127 yards, rushing for 1,206 yards and scoring 43 total touchdowns. In his five seasons, Jackson has rushed for 4,437 yards which is the fifth-most in NFL history for quarterbacks. He has also been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and the All-Pro First Team in 2019.
