"Pay 'em now” – Lamar Jackson sends Ravens a message fresh off handing Tom Brady’s Buccaneers third straight loss
Lamar Jackson has been on a mission since the start of the season to prove he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens star is trying to get a new contract. He made his case for a new deal after the Ravens defeated Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 -22 on Thursday night. In the victory, Jackson went 27 of 38 for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He also had nine carries for 43 yards.
For the 2019 NFL MVP, a Ravens fan at Raymond James Stadium made the case for the 25-year-old to get paid. See the tweet below:
Lamar Jackson signed a fan's sign that read "Pay 'em now" after the Ravens win over the Buccaneers ✍️💰
https://t.co/sjJQGxmLK1
For the 2022 - 2023 season, the former Louisville Cardinals star will get a base salary of $23.016 million. However, it was reported that he turned down a lucrative contract extension from the Ravens in September. According to ESPN, the quarterback rejected a five-year extension offer worth over $250 million with $133 million guaranteed.
The extension would've lasted through the 2027 season and would have boosted the total value of his contract to just under $274 million over six years. He would have played out the over-$23 million fifth-year option on his rookie deal before the extension started in the 2023 season.
Lamar Jackson represented himself in the negotiations while leaning on the assistance of his mother, Felicia Jones, and the NFL Players Association. The union recommended that based on both his performance and age, Jackson had cause to seek a fully guaranteed contract.
The Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a $230 million fully guaranteed contract back in March. The Ravens' offer of $133 million fully guaranteed was greater than both Russell Wilson ($124 million) and Kyler Murray ($103.3 million) was given. However, it was far from the $230 million given to Watson.
What could a Lamar Jackson contract extension look like?
The salary cap website Spotrac gave a projected market value to the All-Pro quarterback. Spotrac has the projection of a six-year $248.3 million deal with an average annual salary of $41.3 million per year. The hypothetical market value puts Jackson well behind Wilson, Murray, and Watson in terms of annual salary.
Yet, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to make the projected deal fully guaranteed, which would surpass Watson's $230 million. Jackson currently has the Ravens sitting with a 5 -3 record and is looking to go on a run. We'll see if that market value changes as Lamar Jackson is on an MVP-like run.