Ravens plan to make Lamar Jackson NFL's highest-paid player

Lamar Jackson could be back at the front of the line as the NFL's highest-paid player soon, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Monday.

Harbaugh said at the NFL annual spring meeting that Baltimore is in discussions with Jackson, who signed a five-year, $260 million contract in 2023. That fully guaranteed deal has salary-cap figures of $74.65 million in 2026 and 2027, and it's possible the two sides are eyeing the deal Bills quarterback Josh Allen signed as a benchmark.

"The value is the top," Harbaugh said. "When Lamar gets paid, he's going to be the highest-paid player in football, just like he was last time. I think every contract he signs till he decides to hang up his cleats, he's going to be that guy."

Jackson, 28, is a two-time NFL MVP and finished second to Allen in the 2024 MVP voting by a margin of four first-place votes. It was the tightest MVP vote since 2003, when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were named co-MVP.

Allen signed a $330 million deal with $250 million in guarantees. His annual average salary of $55 million is equal to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Dak Prescott's contract in Dallas averages $60 million per year.

At the moment, Jackson is ninth in the NFL in AAV at $52 million. Addressing his contract opens the Ravens to be able to do business with other soon-to-be free agents. Safety Kyle Hamilton and tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews are high on that list.

"There's been conversations about that internally, I know. How far along that is or whatever, I don't know," Harbaugh said of the potential timing of Jackson's new contract. "That's going to continue to have to be addressed, really with all those guys. You have to manage that dance, the salary-cap dance. Lamar is the main part of that because he's the franchise player. That's a possibility, I think. Sooner or later, definitely it's going to have to happen."

--Field Level Media