The Baltimore Ravens took a calculated risk by giving a non-exclusive franchise designation to quarterback Lamar Jackson in March 2023 for $32.416 million. That was after he played the 2022 season under his $23.016 million fifth-year option because he was adamant about getting a fully guaranteed contract.
Several weeks later, Jackson’s contract saga finally ended when he agreed to a conventional deal shortly before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft in late April, making him the NFL’s highest-paid player at $52 million per year.
Jackson signed a long-awaited five-year, $260 million contract with $185 million of overall guarantees where $135 million was fully guaranteed. The $135 million included a then-record $72.5 million signing bonus. Jackson got a no-trade clause, and there’s also a provision preventing the Ravens from designating Jackson as a franchise or transition player when his contract expires after the 2027 season.
Jackson has taken his game to another level since signing the contract. He was named the NFL’s MVP in 2023, which was the second time he won the award.
Surprisingly, Jackson didn’t repeat as MVP after having a historic 2024 season. Jackson was the first ever to throw for at least 4,000 yards and run for at least 900 yards. His 4,172 passing yards (sixth in the NFL) were a career high, as were his 41 touchdown passes (tied for second), 8.8 yards per pass attempt (first) and 119.6 passer rating (first) — the last of which was the fourth-best mark in a season in NFL history. As a runner, his 915 yards were his most since the 2020 season. He also led the NFL with 6.6 yards per carry.
No player in NFL history had led in both yards per pass and yards per run at the same time until Jackson. With only four interceptions, Jackson had an outrageous touchdown-to-interception ratio of more than 10-to-1. Nobody with 40 or more touchdown passes has thrown fewer interceptions in the same season.