Lamar Jackson’s 5-Year, $260M Contract Extension With The Ravens Makes Him The NFL’s Highest-Paid Player, And He Did It Himself

Lamar Jackson is now the highest-paid NFL player after inking a 5-year, $260 million contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens. And he did it without an agent! More inside… There was a lot of talk about Lamar Jackson not having an agent, and it led to some drama as he worked to agree on a contract extension with the Ravens. Not only was he acting as his own advocate, he had to both negotiate the deal and play the part of manager and PR rep. In the end, it all paid off. Handsomely. The Ravens and the star quarterback have agreed to a historic five-year, $260 million deal, including $185 million in total guarantees, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Lamar’s new contract makes him the NFL's highest-paid player, earning $52 million per year. Sheesh! We’ve agreed in principle on a 5-year contract extension with QB @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/tQj1Rzqcha — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 27, 2023 "You know, for the last few months, there's been a lot of he's said, she's said," the former NFL MVP said in a video on social media. "A lot of nail-biting, a lot of head scratching going on, but for the next five years, it's a lot of flock going on. Let's go, baby. Let's go. Let's go, man. Can't wait to get there. Can't wait to be there. Can't wait to light up M&T (Bank Stadium) for the next five years, man. Let's get it." Peep the clip above. A massive contract for the 26-year-old QB and Baltimore has been in the making for more than two years. LeSean McCoy, a former running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, credited the mother of the Ravens quarterback for sealing the deal. "I got to give a big shout-out to Action Jackson's mother, Mama Jackson. I want to say congratulations to you also. You're in a male-dominated sport as an agent, and she did her thing. Everybody kept saying, 'oh, he needs a real agent, he needs this, he needs that' no, he don't." ”He trusted his mom. He trusted his ability, his talent, and he got a deal done. So all those people out there to say he needs a real agent, he got a real agent and a real agent got the job done. So, Mama Jackson, congratulations to you also." Watch the clip below: My Agent https://t.co/7QDiSWXpmX — Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 28, 2023 Lamar reposted the clip and captioned, “My agent,” including the hand-over-mouth smiling emoji. Technically speaking, Lamar’s mother, Felicia Jones, isn’t his agent. A person representing a player as an agent in the NFL has to have a license to do so. However, his mother is his manager, so he likely sought her assistance in negotiating the deal with the Ravens, but she didn’t actually do the deal. Regardless, she was there to help him level up like never before. Lamar Jackson’s father died in a car accident when he was 8, and on that same day, his grandmother died too. He has surely made them proud. You’ll notice that his contract is very similar to Jalen Hurts’ new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, negotiated by Nicole Lynn. The NFL QB was the highest-paid player when he signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles last week. It’s practically the same contract extension, except Lamar received $5 million more ($1 million per season), both total and guaranteed.  Jalen Hurts/Eagles: five years, $255 million, $180 million guaranteed. Lamar Jackson/Ravens: five years, $260 million, $185 million guaranteed. Lamar will get to keep all of his money (minus taxes) because he doesn’t have to pay an agent fee. It’s not lost on us that the two highest paid players in the NFL are two black QBs who have two black women at the helm. Patrick Mahomes' record-breaking 10-year, $450 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs signed in 2020 still reigns as the most lucrative deal in NFL history. However, Lamar's recent deal places him at second, surpassing Josh Allen's six-year, $258 million extension. Just hours before Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft, the highly anticipated deal was finally sealed. Baltimore's general manager, Eric DeCosta, rewarded Lamar Jackson with Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers as a new toy to play with.   “Let’s go get some wins... Anytime I touch the ball, I feel like I can score.” : NFL Network, ABC, ESPN. pic.twitter.com/IQOpR0ATau — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 28, 2023   WR @ZayFlowers talks about teaming up with @Lj_Era8 and @obj. pic.twitter.com/Bs33nO4TbN — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 28, 2023   .@ZayFlowers checking in with the Flock pic.twitter.com/zghRI3Osi1 — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 28, 2023   Well it happened — Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 28, 2023 Congrats, Zay! EXTRAS:         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by TheYBF (@theybf_daily) Major congrats to the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young. The Alabama QB is officially a Carolina Panther! Photos: AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File