Ravens Keeping Lamar Jackson Extension Close to Chest

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is deserving of a new contract coming off arguably the best season of his NFL career. The team intends to give him just that, but when it will happen remains up in the air.

Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic confirms the two sides have already talked about a potential extension this offseason but admits to knowing nothing beyond that.

"I know [Eric] DeCosta and Jackson have met this offseason to discuss his contract. I know the Ravens believe Jackson deserves to be the highest-paid quarterback in football," Zrebiec writes. "Anything beyond that, like the deal Jackson is looking for, what the Ravens are offering and whether there’s been any progress made, I don’t have a good feel for."

Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott is currently the league's highest-paid quarterback with a $60 million per year average. Jackson, on the other hand, is making about $52 million per year, which ranks 10th among all quarterbacks.

Jackson signed his five-year, $260 million contract with the Ravens in 2023. The deal made him he highest-paid player in the NFL at the time, but that wasn't the case for very long.

Now Jackson is eyeing another payday, and rightfully so. In 2024, he threw for a career-high 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns. He also ran for 915 yards and four more scores.

Jackson fell just short of his third NFL MVP award to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. However, that's the exact player Jackson's looking to surpass after the Bills signed Allen to a six-year, $330 million contract extension this offseason.

Only time will tell when Jackson will reset the market once again, but Zrebiec believes Baltimore will do its best to keep it to the chest until the last minute.

"When a few things got out during the negotiations a few years ago, it ticked Jackson off and complicated things," Zrebiec added. "General manager Eric DeCosta and Ravens officials have worked hard to earn and maintain Jackson’s trust, and leaks or even clumsy public comments about the negotiations are viewed as a breach of that."