"Don't think he's gonna get sloppy now" - NFL insider claims Lamar Jackson wants Ravens to make him highest-paid QB in the league

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has entered the final year of his rookie deal. The fact that Jackson has got to this stage comes as a surprise to many. The majority of NFL experts assumed the Ravens would have secured his long-term future well before now.

Meanwhile in Arizona, Kyler Murray, a player drafted a year after Lamar Jackson, has just signed a mammoth $230.5 million contract. This has only served to increase the scrutiny of Jackson's current situation in Baltimore. It was also a topic of discussion for Dianna Russini on the Athletic Football Show.

She thinks that Lamar Jackson's contract is being handled with urgency. Here is what she said:

"I do with Lamar showing up to camp. That totally is a great first step, right? He's not holding out. He's there… I was trying to get the number of where Baltimore was at. Because that hasn't even been out there yet. Like, where did they start?"

Russini continued:

"And I couldn't get the exact number from a source in Baltimore. But he told me that it was a number that I think I'd be surprised by because it was lower than what we were all talking about. And that's all it gave me."

She added:

"So then that just tells me that the reason why this isn't getting done then is the money is finding, you know, a place where they are both agreeing and Lamar really doesn't need to negotiate that much. Because he can just point to the quarterbacks that just got paid. So yeah, I think this is gonna light a little fire yeah."

Before finally saying:

"But look, he has shown patience. He has shown discipline, I don't think he's gonna get sloppy now. I think he's waiting for that number that he feels that he should get, which is to be the highest paid quarterback."

Lamar Jackson's contract compared to the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL

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The complexities of NFL contracts mean that it can be a bit complicated to see what a player is set to earn. Lamar Jackson is on a four-year, $9,471,648 contract with the Baltimore Ravens. It includes a $4,968,471 signing bonus, $7,575,059 in guaranteed money, and an average annual salary of $2,367,912.

Ranked by average annual value, the top paid quarterbacks in the NFL are as follows:

1. Aaron Rodgers, $50.3 million
2. Kyler Murray, $46.1 million
3. Deshaun Watson $46 million
4. Patrick MAhomes, $45 million
5. Josh Allen, $43 million

But the yearly average is not really a fair reflection of a contract's true value. Deshaun Watson's $230 million, fully guaranteed deal is by far the most secure on that list, ultimately making it the best.

Whichever way you look at it, Lamar Jackson is massively underpaid. The question of where he ranks among these quarterbacks is one for another day. He is doubtless worth a lot more than his rookie deal and it seems like the Ravens are willing to pay him. Whether Jackson has his eyes on being the top-paid quarterback in the NFL is uncertain, but he probably wouldn't turn it down.

With the 2022 season creeping closer, we will likely see some movement in his contract negotiations soon.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Dianna Russini, The Athletic Football Show and H/T Sportskeeda.