What seemed like it would never happen came to a sudden change on Thursday as the Baltimore Ravens and star quarterback Lamar Jackson finally reached agreement on a new contract. After roughly 26 months of negotiations to no avail, the 2019 unanimous MVP and the team that chose him with the last pick of the first round of the 2018 NFL draft reached an agreement in principle.
The deal is for five years, $260 million, with $185 million guaranteed, making Jackson the new highest-paid player in the NFL at $52M per season. Jackson’s deal also comes just days after the Philadelphia Eagles and signal-caller Jalen Hurts came to terms on a new deal.
Heightening the drama surrounding Lamar Jackson’s two-year contract negotiations was the fact that the former MVP was consistently criticized for refusing to hire an agent, instead opting to allow his mother, Felicia Jones, to negotiate the deal and handle the paperwork.
Lamar And His Mom Keep The Money All In The Family
While his deal is the largest in NFL history, the way Jackson acquired the contract was also unprecedented. Jackson was able to keep the 3 percent agent fee in his pocket and give his mother the $7.8M.
That’s cutting out the middleman and keeping the money in-house. Jackson has found a loophole in the matrix and the NFL clubs and agents across America are surely not happy by the way Jackson has upset the apple cart, beat the machine. He struck a direct blow to the historical relationship between players, owners and teams.
In the past, players had to rely on mostly white agents to negotiate on their behalf, basically leaving the player at the mercy of the agent and the team. Jackson changed that dynamic by standing strong and remaining unwavering in his goal to keep the generational wealth he’s acquired in his family.
Jackson was continuously criticized for using his mom in these negotiations and numerous football voices implied that his negotiations wouldn’t end favorably because she didn’t have the “experience” needed to get the job done. Some reports even suggested that the Ravens would eventually trade Jackson because his demands were unreasonable considering his recent injury history.
In March, this reunion didn’t seem possible, with the relationship hitting a boiling point. Jackson even requesting a trade. Reports that Jackson’s lack of representation was hurting his chances of securing the bag were plentiful.
However, by Thursday of this week the two sides disregarded the past and buried the hatchet. In the end the Ravens get their franchise quarterback to re-sign, and a commitment of five years.
Jackson Video Tells It All
Following the agreement by the two sides, Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, posted a video sharing the good news.
“You know, for the last few months, there’s been a lot of he said, she said,” Jackson said via video. “A lot of nail-biting, a lot of head-scratching going on. Let’s go, baby. Let’s go. Let’s go, man. Can’t wait to get there. Can’t wait to get there. Can’t wait to light up M&T Bank Stadium for the next five years, man. Let’s get it.”
The deal comes just hours before the 2023 NFL draft, where the Ravens chose speedy wideout Zay Flowers of Boston College, adding to the upgraded weaponry at Jackson’s disposal for the 2023 season.
The team also added wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholar. With weapons abound, the ball is now totally in Jackson’s court. He has to win big, stay healthy and make plays.
GM Eric DeCosta Played Hardball But Eventually Gave In
For the longest it looked as if Ravens GM Eric DeCosta was going to stick to his guns and not cave into Lamar’s demands.
There were plenty of talking heads who agreed with DeCosta’s hardball tactics.
DeCosta told reporters this Thursday night following the first round of the draft.
“I think it’s just one of those things,” DeCosta said. “Sometimes you just need time. These things develop. As I said, I think I’ve said it a few times, sometimes these things can happen in two weeks and sometimes it takes two years. This was on that scale.”
Once the Eagles blessed Hurts with a new deal, the pressure shifted to the Ravens who finally broke bread with LJ8, who gave his mother all of the credit.
