Joe Haden Says The Decision Should Be Clear About Lamar Jackson

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

The Baltimore Ravens‘ playoff hopes for next season, not to mention their playoff hopes for the next several years, are hinging on whether quarterback Lamar Jackson gets the huge new contract he has been demanding over the last several months.

Many feel it will take a deal in the area of at least $50 million a year to keep him in Baltimore, and there is a hot debate as to whether he is worth that type of money.

Former NFL star cornerback Joe Haden says the Ravens should pay Jackson because he means so much to them.

For @joehaden23, it’s a no-brainer: Pay Lamar

To @ThomasDavisSDTM point: “If you invest all the money into the QB, you can’t invest into other areas of your football team.” pic.twitter.com/gqH74rFOeh

— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) March 2, 2023

Whether Jackson stays or goes could single-handedly mean the difference between a good Ravens team and one that is virtually hopeless for years.

They have made the playoffs in four of his five seasons in the NFL, and in just his second season back in 2019, they won 14 games on the back of an MVP campaign from him.

However, Jackson’s style of play as a running QB has made him susceptible to injuries.

He missed the last five games of this season and the team’s Wild Card playoff contest with a sprained PCL, and he was sidelined for five games in 2021 because of an ankle injury.

The conventional thinking around the league is that a dual-threat QB like Jackson is not a wise investment because of how injury-prone they tend to be.

Then there is the matter of the salary cap, which led Thomas Davis to counter Haden’s point by saying that paying Jackson could make it impossible for the Ravens to improve the rest of their roster.

This is undoubtedly a huge dilemma for Baltimore and one that may not be resolved very soon.

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