Lamar Jackson Reiterates Commitment to Ravens ... Sans New Deal

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson has never wavered from his commitment to the Ravens even though the two sides have not yet agreed to a new deal.

Jackson has apparently gotten frustrated with people speculating on his future in Baltimore.

I love my Ravens I don’t know who the hell putting that false narrative out that I’m having thoughts about leaving stop tryna read my mind🙄
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 30, 2022

It's not the first time Jackson has stated his preference to stay in with the Ravens.

Last year, Jackson stated his preference to get a deal done.

"I love Baltimore," Jackson said. "I love the whole organization. I love everybody in the building. But hopefully, we’ll be making something happen pretty soon or whenever.”

The Ravens are trying to reach a long-term deal with Jackson but the situation gets trickier by the day.

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.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti acknowledged that the deal will inevitably impact negotiations with Jackson, especially with the amount of guaranteed money.

"What if Lamar says that, I'll play on the fifth-year, I'll play on the franchise, I'll play on another franchise, then you can sign me," Bisciotti said. "That gives me three years to win a Super Bowl, so you can make me a $60 million quarterback because that's where it will be four years from now.

"That might be the case."

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.

Jackson will make $23.02 million playing under his fifth-year option this season. That means he will make $1.28 million per week, which is almost the equivalent of his entire 2021 salary. Jackson also made $9.8 million in bonus money over his four-year career and he will surpass that number by Week 8, according to stats by CBS.