More NFL quarterbacks are securing long-term, lucrative deals, which continues to drive up the price of Lamar Jackson’s potential contract with the Ravens.
Kyler Murray became the latest QB to land a massive deal with a five-year, $250 million extension with the Arizona Cardinals.
Murray was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. He is also the first player in the with at least 70 passing touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns, 3,500 passing yards, and 400 rushing yards with a completion percentage of at least 70% in his first three seasons.
So Kyler Murray gets $160M GTD for postseason plays like this. What should Lamar get #Ravensflock? https://t.co/hEejqZByMR
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) July 22, 2022
Murray made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons but he is 22-23-1 as a starter and 0-1 in the playoffs.
Jackson has a more impressive resume.
Baltimore is 37-12 in the regular season with Jackson as its starter. Since his first NFL start in Week 11 of 2018, Jackson’s 37 wins are tied with Josh Allen for fourth-most among quarterbacks, trailing only Aaron Rodgers (41), Patrick Mahomes (40) and Tom Brady (40).
Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, ranks seventh all-time in rushing yards (3,673) among NFL quarterbacks. His 10 career performances with 100+ rushing yards are tied with Michael Vick for the most by a QB in NFL history.
Deshaun Watson was able to negotiate a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract from the Cleveland Browns after securing a trade by the Houston Texans. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes makes $45 million per year.
Jackson could be looking for a deal around $50 million per season.
The question is whether the Ravens want to invest that much money on one player, and lessen the available funds for other areas of the roster.
GM Eric DeCosta addressed this issue when the Ravens began to initiate contract talks with Jackson.
1/ A 31.497M tag in 2023 is the non-exclusive tag which would allow him to negotiate w/ other teams & the Ravens would only get 2 1st Rd picks if they declined to match an offer sheet. That’s a definite no go. Can’t risk losing him for only 2 1st Rd picks. https://t.co/8ARBe3uier
— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) July 24, 2022
“As an executive, when you’re talking about these kinds of contracts, it’s like if you go to the Bentley dealership or the Ranger Rover dealership, you know what the cars are going to cost,” Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said. “You’re not going to get much of a discount; they all cost about the same. You go in there with the idea that you’re either going to buy the car, or you’re not going to buy the car. So, all of these contracts, there are bells and whistles, and they’re all different in some ways, and they’re all alike in some ways. There are a lot of different ways to look at these contracts. There’s average. There are guarantees.
“There’s money in the first three years, cash flow and all these different things, time length and all of that. But in the end, they’re all very big contracts for outstanding players. They’re quarterback deals. They’re marquee players, and you know you’re going to pay a lot, but you’re going to get a lot in return.”
It’s a tough situation because the Ravens might have waited too long to get a deal done or Jackson wasn’t interested in engaging in talks earlier in his career.
Both sides have been coy about the situation.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has even commented on the situation after the Browns gave Watson that huge deal. Bisciotti was not pleased with that situation.
“It’s like, ‘Damn, I wish they hadn’t guaranteed the whole contract. I don’t know that he should’ve been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract,” Bisciotti said. “To me, that’s something that is groundbreaking, and it’ll make negotiations harder with others.”
The problem is the Browns did make that deal, which made an already tough situation with Jackson even more challenging.
Nonetheless, the Ravens appear willing to finalize a deal because that’s the way life works in the NFL.
“Without a QB you believe in, life sucks as an NFL owner and as a fan base,” Bisciott said. “We appreciate him. All I know is that his teammates love him. The front office loves him. So it’s like, you just keep doing you, Lamar, and we’ll make it work.”
