Lamar Jackson has officially extended his stay with the Baltimore Ravens, having inked the five-year, $250 million deal they agreed to last week.
The agreement brought a close to a saga that dated back quite a while, one in which the quarterback requested a trade before getting franchise tagged. The latter left other teams free to negotiate with the player, which would have forced the Ravens to either accept a trade or match an offer sheet.
Surprisingly enough, it never came to that as there seemed to be a collective hesitance around the league. However, with Jalen Hurts landing a $255 million contract in Philadelphia, Jackson and the Ravens had a realistic base from which to negotiate.
The former NFL MVP signed his contract this Thursday, after which he answered questions from reporters, save one. Jackson opted not to share any insight when quizzed on the trade request he handed the Ravens earlier this year.
“Today, we’re gonna keep it about the future,” he said. “I’m not really worried about what happened in the past. I’m gonna keep it about these next five years. And keep it about what’s going on today. You know, it’s a great day.”
The QB is raring to go on the back of his contract agreement and, given the players Baltimore has acquired in free agency and the NFL Draft, he’s feeling pretty confident ahead of next season and has said he feels like he could break the passing yards record set by Patrick Mahomes in 2022.
