In a rare situation for a team with a young franchise quarterback, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens enter the offseason with the 26-year-old former MVP set to hit unrestricted free agency. The two sides have been negotiating a deal for over a year, but so far they’ve been unable to reach an agreement.
While his recent string of late-season injuries present a concern for Baltimore, Jackson is expected to be near the top of the market for quarterbacks when he signs a deal. His top target, tight end Mark Andrews, believes he’s worth every penny—even more than a four-time MVP and Super Bowl winner like Aaron Rodgers.
Andrews hopped on Von Miller’s podcast, and the two were effervescent in their praise of Jackson, comparing him favorably to the Packers star, who will make around $50 million per year over the next three years with his current contract.
“He does more than Aaron Rodgers,” Miller said. “. . . Aaron Rodgers is getting $50 million a year…”
“You’re speaking facts, man. Everything you said is true,” responded Andrews. “He deserves it, he deserves more, man. He’s a fierce competitor, every time he steps on that field, he’s the one. He’s the guy, there’s no one like him. So he’s a very special guy. I know he’s going to get paid, and I just hope that the deal gets done.
“I know the Ravens want to get the deal done, and I think that he wants to be a Raven as well, so hopefully both parties can get together and get that done. You know how that is, though.”
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Jackson was revelatory in 2019—his first full-season as starter—throwing for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns and rushing for an NFL quarterback record 1,206 yards with six scores en route to the MVP award. He followed that up with another impressive season in 2020, but has been limited to 12 games each of the last two years, missing crucial late season starts for Baltimore. Even so, it’s hard to place a value on a player of his talent who could just be entering his prime as a passer.
Andrews has good reason to hope that both sides work things out as well. With Jackson as his quarterback, he’s emerged as one of the NFL’s top weapons at tight end, topping out at 107 receptions for 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021—all of which led the league for tight ends that season.
