Cowboys legend Troy Aikman breaks silence over legal beef with Lamar Jackson
It's been a mixed bag of headlines for Lamar Jackson this week. Between a legal dispute with Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman and a recruitment pitch from NFL icon Peyton Manning, the reigning NFL MVP has very much been in the headlines. But we'll come back to Manning's chase of Jackson.
For now, the Ravens signal caller finds himself in the middle of a legal battle with Aikman. According to multiple reports, Jackson's legal team recently filed a Notice of Opposition against Aikman owing to the Cowboys icon's efforts to trademark "EIGHT." Aikman has been promoting his beer brand with the same name, though Jackson's legal team claims that Aikman's "EIGHT" would clash with the reigning NFL MVP's own trademeark "8."
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben tweeted on the matter, saying:
"It is highly unusual for two famous quarterbacks, who both wore the same number, to end up in a trademark battle. But to Jackson's credit, he was filing trademarks with the USPTO long before Aikman."
In any case, it appears Aikman took prompt notice of the story reaching the national media. In reference to an article published on ESPN, Aikman wrote to Lamar Jackson on Saturday, saying:
"Hey Lamar, looks like a worthy conversation over a couple cold EIGHT beers! Maybe Steve Young can arbitrate?"
On his website, Josh Gerben added that Lamar Jackson has filed the following trademarks:
- YOU 8 YET?
- PLAY ACTION SOULFOOD AND MORE YOU 8 YET?
- ERA 8
- ERA 8 BY LAMAR JACKSON
Going by Jackson's trademarks, it's safe to assume that the reigning NFL MVP is likely thinking about his off-field earnings just about as much as his on-field ones.
Lamar Jackson's contract extension comes at the right time in booming QB market
After a rough offseason in 2023 where the Baltimore Ravens dilly-dallied over an extension in free agency making Lamar Jackson a restricted free agent, the franchise ultimately signed its MVP to a five-year extension worth $260 million. At the time, the deal made Jackson the highest-paid NFL player going by average annual value.
Since then, Jackson's deal has been usurped by a number of QBs.
At the time of writing, Jackson is only the fifth-highest-paid QB in the National Football League behind Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence (both tied at $55 million a year), Jared Goff ($53 million) and Justin Herbert ($52.5 million).
Considering Dak Prescott's contract extension with the Cowboys is still pending, we could very well see Jackson slump lower on the list of the highest-paid NFL QBs in the coming months.
The Ravens would do well to pat themselves on the back over a timely extension despite what went down in free agency last year.