Jul 23, 2025; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) warms up during training camp at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Ravens' Lamar Jackson Ends Dispute With Cowboys Legend

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is who most NFL fans associate with the No. 8 nowadays, and he takes that honor very seriously.

Over the past year and change, Jackson has been involved in trademark disputes with both Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. over their use of the No. 8 for their own products. In both cases, Jackson - who owns trademarks for "ERA 8," "ERA 8 BY LAMAR JACKSON" and other similar phrases - argued that the other trademarks would create a false connection between him and the other brands. Both Aikman and Earnhardt used the No. 8 throughout their legendary careers.

The situation with Earnhardt was resolved in just a couple of days after he agreed to use a different No. 8 mark, but the situation with Aikman has persisted for over a year. Until now, that is.

According to Mathew Schumer of the Baltimore Sun, Jackson withdrew his challenge of Aikman's trademark on Monday, allowing the Cowboys legend to finally move forward with his own products. Aikman prominently uses the No. 8 on clothing and other similar merchandise.

When the dispute first arose last year, Aikman was quick to poke fun at Jackson on social media.

"Hey Lamar, looks like a worthy conversation over a couple cold EIGHT beers [Aikman's beer brand]! Maybe Steve Young can arbitrate??" Aikman wrote.

Hey Lamar - looks like a worthy conversation over a couple cold EIGHT beers! Maybe Steve Young can arbitrate?? https://t.co/rPLVThmSMg @Lj_era8 @SteveYoungQB @drinkeightbeer @espn pic.twitter.com/M0aDiYka2J
— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) July 20, 2024

Jackson, meanwhile, declined to speak on the situation when asked about it during training camp.

"We're going to keep it [about] football," Jackson told reporters on July 29, 2024. "We're going to keep this about football. That's outside noise. We're sticking with [talking about training] camp, football, and that's it."

Jackson, 28, is coming off one of the best seasons for a quarterback of all time, throwing for a career-high 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He also became the all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback, surpassing Michael Vick's longstanding record. He fell just short of winning his third MVP award, Jackson's 2024 season was undeniably one for the ages.

Despite that, there are plenty of other outstanding No. 8s throughout the history of the NFL, and sports in general. So, perhaps it's not surprising that his trademark challegnes resulted in defeat.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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