Getty Former Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs celebrates a play during a 2016 game.
Lamar Jackson may have decided to stop talking about his contract, but that hasn’t kept the rest of the NFL world from buzzing about the 2019 MVP’s potentially record-breaking extension with the Baltimore Ravens.
Just this week, two Ravens legends offered their thoughts on the situation, with Ed Reed reminding Jackson that “it’s a business, first,” and Terrell Suggs even endorsing a fully-guaranteed contract from the 25-year-old quarterback.
“He’s just gotta be smart,” said Reed to The Ringer’s Kevin Clark on September 23, warning Jackson that an injury this season could cost him.
SND: I asked Ed Reed about Lamar Jackson’s contract and got a thoughtful answer about playing styles, what teams hold against you and how *he* changed in the last year of his rookie deal. Strong words.
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“It’s a business. They will use that against you, whether you like it or not,” Reed continued. “They don’t have to pay you as much.”
Jackson has only dealt with one serious injury in his four-year career thus far, a bone bruise that sidelined him for the Ravens’ last five games of the 2021 regular season.
While his absence demonstrated his value to Baltimore – who lost every game without Jackson – it also served as a reminder of the fragility of NFL careers, fueling the critics of the young quarterback’s dynamic play style.
Regardless of the fact that Jackson suffered the injury while dropping back to pass, not taking off with the ball, it’s clear that he knows how to protect himself as a ballcarrier.
Rather than let would-be tacklers dictate their encounters, Jackson initiates contact and decides how he will absorb hits and go to the ground. That prevents him from ending up in awkward, injury-inducing positions and protects the football in the process. It also helps that Jackson is oftentimes too fast for any defenders to even catch, as he demonstrated in Week 2.
LAMAR JACKSON 79-YARD TD 🔥
(via @NFL)
Suggs Backs Massive Deal for Jackson
Terrell Suggs, meanwhile, argued that Jackson’s price will continue to go up as time goes on, especially with his stellar play so far this season.
“The longer it takes, the higher the price is gonna go,” said Suggs on Wednesday, who expressed some surprise that the two sides hadn’t already reached an agreement.
“This is very uncharacteristic from Baltimore. The organization is known for taking care of its guys,” he said.
It’s been widely reported that the holdup between Jackson and the Ravens is their disagreement on the entirety of the contract being fully-guaranteed.
“It’s not Lamar’s fault that they’re giving out guaranteed contracts to quarterbacks now,” argued Suggs. “He’s the best one, this is his year.”
The former All-Pro credited Jackson’s year-over-year improvement as a passer as justification for his massive pricetag.
“Every time they try to discredit Lamar as a quarterback, he proves them wrong. They can’t win without him,” continued Suggs. “They might as well get it done.”
Von Miller Says Jackson Deserves Top Dollar
Buffalo Bills All-Pro Von Miller also praised Jackson during a press conference ahead of his visit to Baltimore in Week 4, per Bobby Trosset:
Lamar is dynamic as it gets. Early on in his career they tried to say he was just a runner,” said Miller per Bobby Trosset. He’s done nothing but prove he’s the total package. He can throw the ball. He can run the ball. He can do whatever it takes to win games, to put his teammates in grad situations to win. And that’s why he should be the highest-paid player in the NFL.
#Bills OLB Von Miller spoke glowingly of Lamar Jackson and commented on the contract situation:
“Even though we gotta competition & even though I wanna win…I also have respect for the game and I know what’s right. And it’s only right for the guys to get it done over there.”
Though Miller acknowledged the competition between him and Jackson, he added, “I also have respect for the game and I know what’s right. And it’s only right for the guys to get it done over there.”