Lamar Jackson, Ravens agree to contract extension

Sep 13, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) reacts against the Las Vegas Raiders during Monday Night Football at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The contract saga between the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson has been resolved.

Jackson and the Ravens on Thursday agreed to a five-year contract extension. The team announced the news via Twitter saying they have agreed to a deal in principle with Jackson.

The two sides had been unable to reach a deal for well over a year, and there seemed to be friction in the negotiations. There was talk that Jackson was making unreasonable demands regarding the guaranteed money he wanted for his deal and that he was seeking more guaranteed than Deshaun Watson received.

What led him to change his apparent requests? The game-changing moment that seemingly led to the deal was Jalen Hurts signing a contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hurts got a five-year deal from the Eagles worth $255 million. He received $110 million guaranteed at signing and just under $180 million guaranteed for injury. Watson has the record with his entire $230 million contract fully guaranteed, which has been established as an outlier.

Once the Hurts deal got done, that gave Jackson some easy framework to follow and top contract-wise.