Ruling Against NFLPA Ends Collusion Dispute That Included Lamar Jackson’s Ravens Deal

Lamar Jackson reset the quarterback market three years ago. After Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson received their monstrous extensions in 2022, resetting the quarterback market was tough to do.

Jackson was placed on a non-exclusive franchise tag in March 2023. He eventually agreed to a deal on the the first night of the rookie NFL Draft. Jackson was signed to a five-year deal worth $260 million total. The contract held a record-high at the time for annual salary with $52 million. $185 million was guaranteed throughout the whole contract. After signing the contract, he received a colossal signing bonus worth $72.5 million.

The Ravens are allowed to convert his annual salary into a signing bonus without his approval during any season, but the Ravens are also not allowed to franchise tag Jackson again.

Jackson negotiated the deal with the help of his mother, but never signed an official agent or manager. The franchise quarterback saved himself millions in representation fees by choosing to be advised by his mother. After a 2022 collusion case ruling was upheld against the NFLPA Saturday morning, it turns out there may have been nothing Jackson's mother could've done to get Jackson more guaranteed money.

Lamar Jackson receiving NFL MVP award in 202 — Feb 1, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson speaks to the media are receiving the AP Most Valuable Player presented by Pizza Hut during the NFL Honors awards presentation at Adrienne Arsht Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Three-person panel rules against NFLPA

The NFLPA filed a collusion grievance against NFL teams in October 2022 after quarterback Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns and signed a new deal with them in March 2022. Watson received the most amount of guaranteed money in NFL history. The full worth of $230 million contract is guaranteed to Watson. The NFLPA filed a grievance that claimed NFL teams worked together to make sure no other quarterbacks received a contract like Watson's again.

NFL teams reportedly feared other quarterbacks would use Watson's outlier of a contract as the new base for the quarterback market. In January 2025, a three-person panel ruled against the NFLPA and claimed there wasn't enough evidence to deal consequences out to NFL teams on the ruling of collusion.

"The NFL Players Association had argued that owners violated the collective bargaining agreement by colluding in contract negotiations with quarterbacks following the record, fully guaranteed contract signed by Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022...The case specifically questioned whether Watson's $230 million deal affected talks with Murray, Jackson and Wilson; none of the three signed fully guaranteed deals."
ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. & Kalyn Kahler

That ruling is being upheld by the same three-person panel more than a year later.

The panel still found some evidence of collusion

The ruling claimed there was not enough evidence of collusion by NFL teams against certain quarterbacks in 2022. The ruling didn't claim that there was zero evidence of collusion. The panel found that teams were "invited" to engage in collusion and the efforts to do so were wrong.

"While the panel found that teams 'were being invited to participate in collusion' by the NFL and called the effort 'improper,' it ruled that there wasn't enough evidence to prove teams took part in the collusion."
ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. & Kalyn Kahler

Arbitrator Christopher Droney made the final decision to rule against the NFLPA in January 2025 and the ruling was upheld by the three-panel this weekend.

No player has received a quarterback like Watson's since he signed with the Browns four years ago. Watson's deal with the Browns has been restructured four times since signing and Browns owner JImmy Haslam has expressed regret in the deal.