If voter fatigue wasn’t a real phenomenon, Nikola Jokic would win his fourth NBA MVP in five years in 2025, and Lamar Jackson would’ve won his second straight MVP in as many seasons in 2024. But alas, voters like to “share the wealth” with players who haven’t received those types of accolades previously. But there’s no doubt Lamar was deserving in 2024 of the third NFL MVP trophy of his young career.
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Everyone knows Lamar can produce gaudy numbers through the air and on the ground, but his efficiency went through the roof last year. His 119.6 passer rating not only led the league but was the fourth-best mark of all time. He also led the league in TD rate (8.6, seventh-best since the merger) and was second in INT rate (0.8, second). Jackson is the first QB ever to post a TD rate over 8.5 while also maintaining an INT rate of under 1.0.
Postseason struggles notwithstanding, Lamar Jackson is a generational talent. And you don’t let generational talents leave in free agency. Head coach John Harbaugh said that, despite Lamar being under contract until 2027, there have already been discussions “internally” about locking him up on another extension.
“There’s been conversations about that internally I know, how far along that is or whatever I don’t know, but I definitely think it’s an obvious point that you’re making that’s gonna continue to have to be addressed really with all those guys. You just gotta kinda manage that dance, that salary cap dance, and Lamar is the main part of that because he’s the franchise player. That’s a possibility I think. Sooner or later it’s definitely gonna have to happen.”
Coach Harbaugh says there have been internal discussions on a contract extension with Lamar: pic.twitter.com/RjZmZdGNlT
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 31, 2025
Despite all of the fun Lamar’s had in the regular season, some will be wary of giving him another max deal without the evidence that he can lead a Super Bowl run. One fan on twitter said that, “Maybe they should wait for a Super Bowl or maybe even a Super Bowl appearance first.” Surely they are not alone in that sentiment, but it is actually quite an unreasonable one.
These days, max deals, especially those for QBs, are not handed out just for past performance, but for the promise of future potential as well. When Jackson signed his current five-year, $260 million deal in 2023, his $52 million AAV made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Both Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow signed for more later that year. Burrow has had some playoff success (though no Super Bowl win), but Herbert only has two embarrassing playoff losses to his name. Since then, six other QBs have signed for more than Lamar’s $52 million AAV. None of the six have reached a Super Bowl, and combined, they have a 15-20 career playoff record.
There are only five starting QBs in the NFL right now who have won a Super Bowl. Only three, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Matthew Stafford, won their ring in the last decade; the other two are Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, both now shells of their former selves. All three of the recent ones won the Big Game while playing on a massive contract, but with excellent supporting casts as well.
That means to win the Super Bowl, you must have your cake and eat it too. Most other fans realized that, with one hoping they “Make our king a raven for life“. Another suggested a two-pronged approach for Baltimore: “Give him a giant extension and then shower him with WEAPONS“.
If there’s one thing Lamar Jackson has always lacked, it’s a bona fide No. 1 receiver weapon. Once he gets that, there will be no more excuses. But until then, an earlier extension is always better for the team than later. They would do well to negotiate an extension this summer or next before QBs start getting $70 million a year.
