Likely NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is set to lead his Baltimore Ravens into the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
For a while this past offseason, it was not a foregone conclusion that Jackson would even be playing in Baltimore. The former first-round pick had requested a trade earlier last offseason due to failed contract talks with the Ravens. At that point, NFL rumors were pointing to him being traded to another team.
Ultimately, Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million contract extension to remain with the Ravens. That came right as the 2023 NFL Draft was set to start in late-April.
We now have some more information on the process behind the scenes relating to Jackson and other teams interested in his services. An unnamed NFL executive provided a shocking take on what happened.
“Everybody was interested in the player. They were not interested in the package. Because he was so vociferous about getting that guaranteed deal, those franchises made it clear, there is nothing to talk about. It wasn’t until Baltimore convinced him to take the non-guaranteed contract that the Ravens got a deal done.”
Unnamed NFL executive on Lamar Jackson contract talks, via Mike Sando of The Athletic
Jackson, 27, was said to be looking for a full-guaranteed deal similar to the five-year, $230 million contract Deshaun Watson had signed with the Cleveland Browns the prior offseason. He ultimately ended up getting $135 million guaranteed at signing an $185 million in total guarantees.
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There were several teams that found themselves rumored to be interested in Jackson last offseason. That included both the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.
As it stands, Jackson is on the verge of earning his second career NFL MVP with the Ravens. The dual-threat signal caller tallied 4,499 total yards with 29 total touchowns and just seven interceptions en route to leaing Baltimore to an NFL-best 13-4 regular-season record.
They are now set to host Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. With a win, he’ll make his first ever Super Bowl appearance.