Lamar Jackson re-signs with Ravens, becomes NFL’s highest-paid player
Jackson's deal is worth $5 million more than the mega-deal Jalen Hurts recently signed.
Lamar Jackson has re-signed with the Baltimore Ravens, the team announced Thursday.
The deal is worth $260 million over five years, according to ESPN, which will make Jackson the highest-paid player in the NFL. It’s five million more than the $255 million Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts signed for earlier this month.
“Once Jalen Hurts’ deal got done, Baltimore stepped up and offered him a deal that trumped it,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said on Twitter.
Jackson’s deal includes $185 million of guaranteed money.
“For the last few months, there’s been a lot of he said, she said,” Jackson said in a video posted to the Ravens’ Twitter account. “A lot of nailbiting, a lot of head-scratching going on. But, for the next five years, it’s a lot of flock going on. Let’s go baby … can’t wait to get there, can’t wait to be there, and can’t wait to light up M&T (Bank Stadium) for the next five years.”
The Ravens placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson this offseason, which meant that he was free to sign elsewhere if another team was willing to part with two first-round picks as compensation.
Speculation about a potential move to New England rumbled throughout the offseason and picked up steam when Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he received a text from rapper Meek Mill that said Jackson wanted to come to the Patriots.
But now, Jackson has a new mega-deal that is designed to keep him in Baltimore for the long term.
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