It’s almost believeable that, in the span of just two years, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has gone from being the highest-paid player in NFL history to barely being in the top 10 at his position.
After a somewhat messy saga, Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million extension with the Ravens on April 27, 2023, with the $52 million average being the highest in NFL history at the time. Numerous quarterbacks have signed mammoth extensions since then, though, pushing Jackson all the way down to ninth in terms of average value.
That may not be the case for much longer, however. At the NFL Owners meeting in March, head coach John Harbaugh revealed that the Ravens have discussed a new extension for Jackson, adding that “he’s going to be the highest-paid player in football, just like last time.”
“There has been conversations about that internally, I know,” Harbaugh said. “How far along that is or whatever, I don’t know, but I definitely think it’s an obvious point that you’re making. That’s going to continue to have to be addressed, really with all those guys. You just have to kind of manage that dance – the salary cap dance – and Lamar is the main part of that, because he’s the franchise player. That’s a possibility. Sooner or later, that’s definitely going to have to happen.”
It likely comes as no surprise, but according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, the Ravens “would love” to get a deal done before the regular season begins in September.
“Then, there’s the contract status of Lamar Jackson. His cap number balloons to $74.5 million next year,” Zrebiec wrote. “The Ravens would love to reach an agreement on an extension with Jackson before the start of this season.”
Dalllas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is currently the highest-paid quarterback in the league with an average value of $60 million. In terms of guaranteed money, though, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen leads the way with $250 million guaranteed on a six-year, $330 million ($55 million average) extension he signed back in March.
Allen signed his extension despite already being signed through the 2028 season, essentially replacing his existing deal. Jackson, who’s currently signed through the 2027 campaign, will likely follow a similar path, when he eventually puts pen to paper.
