It’s official.
Star quarterback Lamar Jackson formally signed his five-year, $260 million greenback contract on Thursday.
Jackson, alongside Ravens GM Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh, held his first press convention since signing the deal that may hold him in Baltimore by means of the 2027 season.
The star opted not to talk about his commerce request after the crew positioned the non-exclusive franchise tag on him and emphasised he “wanted to be a Raven.”
“I didn’t really care for other teams,” Jackson stated. “I just really wanted to get something here. Other teams are cool, but I wanted to be a Raven. I said something in 2018 … I meant that. I wanted to get this done. … I really wanted to finish my career here and win a Super Bowl here.”
Jackson’s deal set new league highs in signing bonus ($72.5 million), most cash within the first three years of a contract ($156 million) and common per season ($52 million). The contract additionally contains full no-trade and no-tag clauses, in response to ESPN.
The former MVP’s deal finalizes an offensive revamp for the Ravens. Jackson will return to the the sphere with new teammates, together with former Giant Odell Beckham Jr., former Eagle wideout Nelson Agholor and Zay Flowers, the twenty second total choice out of Boston College within the 2023 NFL Draft.
The new additions will assist a Ravens squad who ranked twentieth in factors per recreation (20.4) and bolster a receiver corps that caught simply seven landing passes final season.
With the brand new receivers, Jackson believes the offense has potential to shatter data.
“I want to throw for like 6,000 yards with the weapons we have,” Jackson stated with amusing. “I’m not an individual award-type guy or a stat watcher. I just want to do that because no one has ever done it and I feel like we have the weapons to do it.”
The quarterback revealed that he and Beckham spoke after the previous Giant signed with Baltimore on a one-year deal and was “hyped” in regards to the addition.
“He reached out to me,” Jackson stated of Beckham. “I was hyped about it … and then a new addition like him, with his resume, we can improve our receiving room and we can go somewhere. I was definitely hyped about that.”
Thursday’s press convention was in a extra joyful ambiance, reverse of the somber temper that crammed the 27-month negotiation journey between the two-time Pro Bowler and the Ravens.
Initially, reviews revealed that Jackson most popular a completely assured deal, just like the $230 million contract the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson final 12 months.
Jalen Hurts’ deal, which included $179.5 million assured, strengthened the market worth for quarterbacks for Jackson, in response to ESPN.
Two days previous to the draft, Jackson and the Ravens have been then capable of which an settlement.
“I absolutely wanted to get it done because I was just tired of going back and forth about it,” Jackson stated. “We’ve been doing it for years, but it was like the time had come. The numbers were right, and we were all satisfied.”
DeCosta admitted that the journey was a “long stretch,” but additionally complimented Jackson, who represented himself all through negotiations, for being “patient, demanding, honest and straightforward.”
“There was some dark days. I mean [I’m] not going to lie to you and say every day was great, it’s been a long stretch,” DeCosta stated. “But we know Lamar, we know the kind of person he is and he’s a phenomenal football player. But you don’t make a phenomenal football player, the highest paid player in the league. You make a phenomenal football player who’s also a phenomenal person, the highest paid player in the league. And so, we had a lot of conviction that this was the right thing to do.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com