On Thursday, news broke that the Baltimore Ravens and former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson have agreed to terms on a contract extension. This is huge news for the entire league. In a process that took years to play out, the Ravens and Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, appear to have a deal in place.
As I type these words, the numbers of the deal are not known, but what we do know is that it should be bigger than the deal signed by Jalen Hurts recently to some degree. The biggest knock on Jackson has been his ability to stay healthy late in the season.
His style of play does make him more susceptible to injuries, and that was indeed the case the past two seasons. However, Jackson has won over 70% of his regular season starts and is the best dual-threat quarterback in the history of the league.
The team did give him some help this offseason by signing Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr, but more help is surely needed at wide receiver.
The Ravens would have been lost without Jackson, and it appeared as though the two sides were getting ready to move on from each other. Now, the two sides have a deal.
Sources: Lamar Jackson and the #Ravens have agreed to terms. He has his deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2023
Once Jalen Hurts' deal got done, Baltimore stepped up and offered him a deal that trumped it. https://t.co/5bGKWK0CDl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2023
Based on what we’ve heard all offseason, I am truly shocked that the Ravens, according to Ian Rapoport, offered him a deal that “trumped” Jalen Hurts’ pact. It appears the Ravens grew up a bit and knew that Lamar Jackson is a special player.
The AFC is quite loaded at quarterback, so if Lamar Jackson would have left the team, the Ravens would have been truly lost. Now with Jackson back in the mix, that gives the Ravens a fighting chance in a conference that just added Aaron Rodgers.
Congratulations to Lamar Jackson.