The Baltimore Ravens agreed in principle with Lamar Jackson on a five-year deal Thursday, making their star quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history.
The Ravens and Jackson agreed on a $260 million, five-year deal with $185 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been signed.
The deal keeps the 2019 NFL MVP in Baltimore for the foreseeable future and ends a contract negotiation saga that was dominating the team’s offseason. Jackson’s contract tops the $255 million, five-year deal the Philadelphia Eagles gave Jalen Hurts earlier this month. Hurts got $179.3 million in guarantees.
Deshaun Watson still has the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns gave Watson a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million extension last year to waive his no-trade clause and agree to join the team.
The Ravens announced the deal hours before the first round of the NFL draft, and it’s fair to say that in Baltimore at least, this news will overshadow whoever the team might take in the first round.
After playing out his rookie contract, Jackson’s future with the Ravens was in doubt. Baltimore put the franchise tag on Jackson last month, but the Ravens kept expressing confidence that they could reach a long-term agreement with him – even after Jackson made a trade request public.
The Ravens did not disclose contract terms, but their tweet announcing the deal did include a video of Jackson talking.
“For the last few months, there’s been a lot of he said, she said, a lot of nail biting, a lot of head scratching going on,” Jackson said. “But for the next five years, it’s a lot of flock going on.”
JAGUARS: Jacksonville left tackle Cam Robinson is facing a multigame suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the potential suspension is pending the result of a B sample.
According to league rules, Robinson could be suspended without pay for up to six games to start the season. The possibility of being without Robinson for any length of time could affect the way Jacksonville approaches the NFL draft. Robinson tore the meniscus in his right knee in mid-December and missed the final five games of the season, including two in the playoffs. Little, a second-round pick in 2021, filled in and played well.
• Jacksonville nose tackle DaVon Hamilton signed a three-year contract extension Thursday worth $34.5 million and including $23 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with negotiations.
Hamilton, the 73rd overall pick in 2020 out of Ohio State, showed improvement in each of his first three years. It culminated with a career-high 56 tackles and 2 ½ sacks in 2022. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound defender helped the Jags rank seventh in the league last season in yards per carry (4.15) and 12th against the run (114.8 yards a game).
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.