With every Baltimore Ravens football game, quarterback Lamar Jackson’s price tag keeps rising.
Yes, we all saw the Miami Dolphins come back from 21 points down, and Tua Tagovailoa let out his inner Dan-Marino throwing six touchdowns to lead them to victory. While all that was going on, Jackson crossed two more milestones: First, this was his 11th 100-yard rushing game, which passed Michael Vick for the most by a quarterback in NFL regular-season history. Also, according to Elias Sports Bureau research, Jackson became the first player in NFL history to record a touchdown pass and run of 75 yards or more.
I mean, Lamar Jackson can’t play defense. The Ravens allowed Miami to get 233 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Still, Jackson didn’t want to talk about the record after the game because it was all about winning to him. As ESPN points out, the Ravens’ offense managed 89 yards and three points in the fourth quarter.
“I want to win,” Jackson said. “That record doesn’t mean nothing if we’re not winning.” “We just got to finish. It came down to the fourth quarter. They were putting points on the board, and we wasn’t. We just got to finish when we’re up.”
Despite this second-half meltdown, it’s only the second game of the season. Jackson still showed out and is putting up numbers on the ground and through the air (6 TDs, 1 INT, 64% CMP). While he and the Ravens organization will not discuss his contract situation during the season, you have to wonder how high the number will go up. As of now, Browns QB Deshaun Watson has set the bar regarding guaranteed money. Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray got their deals before the season started.
Jackson could potentially reset the market, especially as he’s playing like this. That’s considering having a resume of being an MVP, two-time pro bowler, and the first quarterback in NFL history with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.