Pay The Man: Lamar Jackson Dominates the Saints

In the second installment of the Pay The Man series, Lamar Jackson leads the Baltimore Ravens to their third straight win as they knock off the New Orleans Saints. Jackson continues to prove why he deserves a new contract from the Baltimore Ravens.

The former Louisville standout was drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft with the last pick in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens. He then signed with the Ravens for 4 years at 9.4 million dollars with a fifth-year team option. Lamar and the Ravens agreed to move forward with the option in hopes of coming to an agreement long-term.

But the two were unable to come to an agreed number by Week 1 of the NFL season. Therefore, he is set to be a free agent this coming off-season. However, there is a chance of the Ravens putting a franchise tag on him.

If the franchise tag happens, then there are two scenarios that could unfold:

1. Tag Him with a Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag (the number for this tag would be $29.7 million as of now)
2. Tag Him with an Exclusive Franchise Tag (the number for this tag would be $45.5 million as of now)

The non-exclusive franchise tag would allow other teams to offer him a contract. This is similar to in the NHL Free Agency and NBA Free Agency world when players are described as Restricted Free Agents, meaning that the team they currently play for has the final say in what to do with the player, but other teams can offer them a contract.

In Jackson’s case, if he receives the Exclusive Franchise Tag next year, that would place him as the fourth highest paid quarterback in the NFL for the 2023 season. He would be behind Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, and division rival quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The Deshaun Watson contract has thrown a wrench in all future quarterback contracts because he was unable to play in the NFL for over a year now and he received $230 million guaranteed, which is the highest guaranteed contract in NFL history. So Lamar’s argument is that he should receive a higher annual salary because he has accomplished more on the field than Watson.

Speaking of accomplishments, Lamar Jackson achieved another in last night’s victory over the Saints. Lamar completed his 100th career passing touchdown as a professional quarterback.

Baltimore won the game 27-13 behind Lamar’s 133 passing yards and 82 rushing yards. The Ravens sit atop the AFC North with a 6-3 record even with their plethora of injuries that they have had to endure. Plus, the front office traded away Jackson’s number one wide receiver from last year, Marquise Brown, in the off-season to the Arizona Cardinals. Former Clemson standout Sammy Watkins was also on the list of Ravens that did not return this season.

The AFC North as a whole has been a cluster of the unknown all season. The Ravens supporting cast around Lamar is questionable besides Mark Andrews, the Browns are 3-5 without Deshaun Watson, the Steelers are 2-6 in search of a reliable quaterback, and the Bengals have offensive line questions. So there is a solid chance Baltimore could clinch the division and Lamar Jackson could be on the precipice of another playoff win.