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There was lots of uncertainty about quarterback Lamar Jackson’s future with the Baltimore Ravens after the two sides couldn’t agree on a potential new contract for many months.
The team used its non-exclusive franchise tag on him in March, which allowed him to freely negotiate a contract with a team of his choice and led some to feel he was on his way out.
But Jackson was given a five-year, $260 million contract, which will make him the highest-paid player in the NFL.
He spoke to the media for the first time since receiving that contract on Thursday, and he gave plenty of credit to his mother, saying that the fact she raised him and his brothers as a single parent inspired him and motivated him to never give up.
“This woman is a super hero to me.” 🥺💜@Lj_era8‘s mother, Felicia, raised four children on her own. Now, she’s the mom of the NFL’s highest-paid player. (via @Ravens)pic.twitter.com/lbtmiqRwB9
— NFL (@NFL) May 4, 2023
As recently as 2019, Jackson won the regular-season MVP in just his first full season as a starter, and that year he put up a league-high 36 passing touchdowns, 3,127 passing yards, 1,206 rushing yards, and seven rushing touchdowns.
But his overall production has dipped since, and he has also had trouble staying healthy.
Jackson missed five games apiece the last two seasons, and that combined with the fact that he’s a dual-threat QB made some feel he simply wasn’t worth the type of lucrative contract he ended up getting.
But now he will be staying put in Baltimore, and he will have a couple of new weapons to work with in the form of three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and first-round draft pick Zay Flowers.
