With the victories piling up for the Ravens and Jackson, the “contractual leverage” has been tilted in Jackson’s favor, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.
“Jackson is under the Ravens’ control through 2022, and several executives around the league wonder where he’ll fall on the salary scale — closer to $30 million or $40 million annually,” Howe wrote. “As long as Jackson maintains his performance from this recent stretch, he has likely pushed his value to the top of that financial spectrum, possibly even eclipsing it…It’s unclear what type of contract Jackson wants or how much the Ravens are willing to pay. But as these performances mount and this process draws out, Jackson’s price appears to be on the way up.”
It’s not just Jackson and the Ravens’ success, but his value for the team that may increase his paygrade. He’s in the running for league MVP for a second time and, according to The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz, he’s the single-most valuable player for their respective franchise.
“If it wasn’t already clear before the 2021 season, it is now: Lamar Jackson makes the Ravens offense viable—not the other way around,” Ruiz wrote. “When Jackson won the MVP award in 2019, there were still some naysayers who believed his success was the product of a stellar supporting cast and play-calling that was custom built for his strengths and weaknesses as a passer. Those arguments can no longer be made.”
Just about every team in the NFL is a handful of plays from a significant change in their record. For the 2021 Ravens, their handful of plays include a 66-yard field goal from kicker Justin Tucker against the Lions and a pair of failed field goals from the Indianapolis Colts, be them blocked or missed.