{"id":33723,"date":"2025-03-17T04:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T04:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33723"},"modified":"2025-03-17T04:06:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T04:06:15","slug":"ravens-solve-12-2-million-lamar-jackson-problem-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33723","title":{"rendered":"Ravens Solve $12.2 Million Lamar Jackson Problem: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"l-article__header\"><\/header>\n<div class=\"l-article__meta\">\n<div class=\"l-article__meta-item l-article__meta-item--dates\">\n<ul class=\"c-meta c-meta--post c-meta--list c-meta--dates\">\n<li class=\"c-meta__item c-meta__item--updated\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-article__content\">\n<div class=\"c-content entry-content\">\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2173812520-e1742146594242.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2173812520-e1742146594242.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2173812520-e1742146594242.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2173812520-e1742146594242.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Lamar Jackson\" width=\"780\" height=\"440\" data-img-load-time=\"199\" data-dom-ready-time=\"1132\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">The Baltimore Ravens solved a problem for Lamar Jackson.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0knew they needed a competent backup for\u00a0Lamar Jackson, so they gave former\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0quarterback\u00a0Cooper Rush\u00a0$4.2 million in guaranteed money to sign in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>An agreement with Rush worth $12.2 million was reported by\u00a0ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter\u00a0on Sunday, March 16. He also revealed the two-year contract contains over a third in guaranteed cash.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a healthy deal for Rush and a hefty chunk of money paid out by the salary cap-challenged Ravens. Both of those things reflect the importance of ensuring their options at QB2 remain strong.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_1_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-1 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_1\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It was a concern even before multiple-team veteran\u00a0Josh Johnson\u00a0became a free agent. Particularly in light of\u00a0Jackson\u2019s injury history.<\/p>\n<p>Rush will offer more recent starting experience and be game ready in the event disaster strikes the Ravens\u2019 most important player.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Ravens Got a Quality Backup<\/h2>\n<p>Front-loading a deal for a 31-year-old with 14 career starts was a risk worth taking for the Ravens. Especially when they got a quality backup in return.<\/p>\n<p>Rush has compiled a solid 9-5 record as a starter,\u00a0according to StatMuse. He\u2019s proved he can win in the NFL by playing smart football and trusting the talent around him.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_2_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-2 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_2\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Those qualities make Rush the ideal efficient counterpoint to Jackson. He\u2019s never going to carry the same big-play potential as the league\u2019s premier dual-threat signal-caller, but Rush will stick within the confines of offensive coordinator Todd Monken\u2019s system.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019ll be easier to do when two-time rushing champion\u00a0Derrick Henry\u00a0is in the backfield. When\u00a0Mark Andrews\u00a0and\u00a0Isaiah Likely\u00a0are splitting time at tight end. When a\u00a0five-time Pro Bowler now headlines\u00a0Jackson\u2019s receiving corps.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_3_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-3 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_3\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Ravens have all they need to amply support any quarterback, but their success still ultimately hinges on Jackson\u2019s availability. Rush\u2019s addition is so important because recent history has shown the Ravens the cost of being without Jackson and lacking a credible alternative.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Lamar Jackson Absence Has Hurt the Ravens<\/h2>\n<p>As\u00a0ESPN\u2019s Jamison Hensley\u00a0pointed out, \u201cthe Ravens haven\u2019t needed to play their backup quarterbacks much in recent years; Jackson hasn\u2019t missed a game because of injury since the end of the 2022 season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s true, but you only need to cast an eye back to the 2021 and \u201922 seasons to see the cost of Jackson\u2019s absence. The Ravens slumped to 0-5 and missed the playoffs, after starting 2021 at 8-4, following Jackson suffering an\u00a0ankle injury that lingered.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_4_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-4 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_4\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jackson lost six games after\u00a0spraining his knee\u00a0late in the following season. The Ravens still made the postseason this time, largely thanks to the competent performances of Pro Bowl backup passer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/tyler-huntley\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"\">T<\/a>yler Huntley, but they were soon one and done.<\/p>\n<p>Huntley\u2019s efforts that year brought into focus the value of a capable deputy for Jackson. So does an overall record of \u201c4-10, including playoffs, when Jackson has not started at quarterback,\u201d\u00a0per Hensley.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_6_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad  adthrive-content adthrive-content-6\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_5_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-5 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_5\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In this context it makes sense Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta handed Rush a bloated contract. The decision has put an exclamation mark on what was a hidden, but still not insignificant, gap on the depth chart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty The Baltimore Ravens solved a problem for Lamar Jackson. The\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0knew they needed a competent backup for\u00a0Lamar Jackson, so they gave former\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0quarterback\u00a0Cooper Rush\u00a0$4.2 million in&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ravens Solve $12.2 Million Lamar Jackson Problem: Report - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33723\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ravens Solve $12.2 Million Lamar Jackson Problem: Report - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty The Baltimore Ravens solved a problem for Lamar Jackson. 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