National Football League

Should Ravens' sign Lamar Jackson to $230M-plus fully guaranteed?

Updated Aug. 14, 2022 6:29 p.m. ET

There's a new twist in the ongoing Lamar Jackson contract negation saga, with the former NFL MVP reportedly asking for a fully guaranteed deal worth more than $230 million from the Baltimore Ravens.

Jackson is entering his fifth-year option season, making his potential extension a major topic throughout an offseason that saw fellow quarterbacks Kyler Murray ($230.5 million), Deshaun Watson ($230 million), Aaron Rodgers ($200 million) and Matthew Stafford ($160 million) agree to monster deals.

Jackson has undeniably made a big splash in the NFL since emerging as a starter midway through the 2018 season. But the verdict is still out on whether the 25-year-old should be paid the big bucks.

On Friday's "The Herd," Colin Cowherd explained why a fully-guaranteed contract for Jackson shouldn't be out of the question.

"This is what was never really asked for before Deshaun Watson, so this is the new world, and I would pay Lamar Jackson pretty much whatever the market bears," Cowherd said. "It is interesting. Let's say [the Ravens] didn't pay him and he went to the market, you'd have to go get Lamar Jackson — but it would be fascinating. He's a unique player who has to be uniquely coached, [and] that's okay.

Lamar Jackson reportedly seeking more than $230M guaranteed in new deal

Lamar Jackson may not enter this season with a new contract. Colin Cowherd weighs in on whether the Baltimore Ravens should pay him or not.

"I think people forget how much he wins. Nobody [has] ever won this fast, this much. … People want to put everybody in a box, and [Jackson is] just a different player. … He has more wins before [age] 25 than any player ever. We've seen him make multiple leaps … [and] he's gonna make another one this year."

Jackson, who previously said he "expects to" spend the rest of his career with the Ravens, will earn $23 million in the option year of his rookie contract this season. Baltimore is 37-12 with Jackson under center. He was unanimously voted league MVP in 2019, his first full year as a starter. In 2021, he was selected to his second Pro Bowl after completing 64.4% of his passes for 2,882 yards and 16 touchdowns.

On "Speak For Yourself," Emmanuel Acho reiterated that Jackson deserves the big payout he's asking for yet feels for the Ravens that "it would be a mistake to pay him that much money."

"I'm not saying Lamar Jackson [doesn't] need to get paid — I already said pay him," Acho said. "I'm simply saying [that] the complication with paying Lamar — for the Ravens, not for the NFL — is [that] I don't know if we've ever seen, outside of Peyton Manning since the turn of the century, a quarterback win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him if they didn't win one in the first few years."

Lamar Jackson seeking a $230M+ fully-guaranteed deal from Ravens

Emmanuel Acho explains whether the Ravens should give Jackson a fully-guaranteed contract.

Of the five QBs taken in the first round in 2018, only Jackson and Buffalo's Josh Allen (No. 7 overall pick) are still with their original teams.

The former Heisman Trophy winner out of Louisville has led the Ravens to the postseason in three of his four seasons in the league. He finished 2021 with 133 rushes for 767 yards and two scores, despite missing five games due to an ankle injury. After racing to an 8-3 record, the Ravens lost their last six games, finishing 8-9 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2017.