Lamar Jackson’s Superhero Mom Felicia Trained Him Like Crazy for the Big Stage, Before Eventually Negotiating a Mammoth Deal for Him

Nidhi | 01/01/2024
Lamar Jackson's Superhero Mom Felicia Trained Him Like Crazy for the Big Stage, Before Eventually Negotiating a Mammoth Deal for Him

Lamar Jackson has one person to thank for his monumental success: his mother. As fiercely private individuals, all that is known of Jackson’s tumultuous childhood is that his father died in a car accident when he was 8, on the same day as his grandmother. Jones told him then not to cry, that they would do better and amount to something. And they did, now standing at the pinnacle of success, Jackson firmly cemented as one of the best and most paid QBs.

Many know of Felicia Jones’s role as Jackson’s manager. The two made headlines when the Ravens QB scripted history and became the highest-paid QB in the league back in April, a title that would soon be out of his hands. The remarkable thing was, that it all happened without an agent, rather Jones and Jackson together negotiated the deal. However, in the myriads of roles that his mother played, one often skips notice: that of his first football coach.

In 2016, Jackson wrote an essay for The Players’ Tribune, where he talked about how he was able to grow into a better player, crediting his mother for much of his game and his initial coaching. In a stunning revelation, the Heisman winner detailed how his mother would run with him, no matter the weather.

 

What’s more, the drills were harder than anything Jackson had experienced since turning pro as he said, “I’ve never played in a football game that was more tiring than those long runs on that bridge.” He called his mom the best coach he’s ever had. She not only went on runs with him but also ran drills with him in the backyard. “She had a vision for my football career even before I did,” Jackson wrote.

This remarkable athleticism can be credited to Jones’ own college athlete background. As a basketball player in college, she could grind with her boys and keep up. “People don’t believe me,” Jackson once told ESPN. “She was an athlete. She used to play basketball. She saw what we were able to do, and she’d go back there and play football with us.” Lamar Jackson was really close to the truth when he called his mom a “Superhero.” Her vision for his football career did not stop in the backyard though, as she traveled all the way to the top with her son.

Lamar Jackson’s Momager Negotiates Mammoth Contract

From ensuring a starting QB role for her son pre-draft to ensuring that he gets what he’s worth as a starting quarterback for the Ravens, Felicia Jones has stood by her son, always his guiding light. The standoff between the Ravens and Jackson was a huge paper-grabbing matter earlier this year. Jackson and the team had been at loggerheads over a contract for some time as he sought his worth.

Although he represents himself as an agent Jackson didn’t act alone to secure the five-year, $260 million contract with $185 million guaranteed. Jackson said that while he negotiated with the Ravens brass, “me and her (were) piggybacking off of each other” to get the deal across the finish line. From raising 4 children as a single mother to making sure she never asked for handouts, Jones served as the ultimate inspiration for Jackson, as together they negotiated the biggest annual contract at that time.

Post Edited By: Nidhi
Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson

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Nidhi

Nidhi is an NFL Editor for The SportsRush. Her interest in NFL began with 'The Blindside' and has been working as an NFL journalist for the past year. As an athlete herself, she uses her personal experience to cover sports immaculately. She is a graduate of English Literature and when not doing deep dives into Mahomes' latest family drama, she inhales books on her kindle like nobody's business. She is proud that she recognised Travis Kelce's charm (like many other NFL fangirls) way before Taylor Swift did, and is waiting with bated breath for the new album to drop.

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