Dismissing ideas: Ravens could regret Extensions with Justin Madubuike and Lamar Jackson
It’s a good problem to have players on costly multi-year contracts who occupy prime positions. It usually indicates that a team has
discovered a top player who is worth paying premium dollar and backing up the brink.
By offering large salaries, the Baltimore Ravens were able to keep their best pending free agents throughout each of the previous two
offseasons.
The athletes were Justin Madubuike, a defensive tackle, in March of this year, and Lamar Jackson, the franchise quarterback in 2023.
Jackson showed the club that they had faith in him right away by winning MVP for the second time in his career, while Madubuike
continued his upward trajectory by becoming a star in 2023. Nevertheless, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently published a piece
titled “Recent Blockbuster NFL Contracts That Teams Are Likely to Regret,” in which both players were mentioned.
Jackson was first given the non-exclusive franchise tag by the Ravens, but they eventually came to an agreement on a $260 million five-
year extension with a guaranteed $185 million and an average salary of $52 million.
“That or the franchise tag, which would have been equally expensive in the short run and left the Ravens exposed in the long run,” Gagnon
wrote. “Unless they had made the decision to split up.”
Gagnon offers an incredibly ludicrous explanation for why the Ravens might regret Jackson’s contract. This holds true for every franchise
quarterback who hasn’t been Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, or Jalen Hurts during the last five years, and
only three of those players have won championships for their clubs.
Even though Jackson gave the Ravens an MVP campaign right away, Gagnon stated that Jackson was unable to lead the team to another
Super Bowl. “The rest of the roster will suffer as a result of his increased cost.”
Jackson was described as “somewhat fragile” and a “often-exposed quarterback” by Gagnon, neither of which is accurate. His seasons in 2021 and 2022 were cut short by two minor injuries that resulted from odd occurrences. Rather than stemming from an incapacity to defend oneself or maintain health, they were the outcome of pass protection failures. When it comes to scurrying and carrying the ball in the open field, Jackson’s ability to elude large hits is actually praised by the majority of knowledgeable pundits.
The greatest dual-threat quarterback in NFL history, Jackson amplifies everyone around him to the fullest. As a facilitator, he poses a serious threat and increases the chances that his weapons will make plays during the rushing and passing game.
At the time he inked his new deal, the three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All Pro became the highest-paid player in NFL history. His time holding the mantle was short-lived, though. He has since been surpassed in terms of average annual salary by the likes of Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, and most recently Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In just over a year, he went from sitting at the top of the market to barely ranking in the Top 5. What Gagnon doesn’t understand is the going rate for franchise quarterbacks raises with each new deal. Whether Dak Prescott hits the open market or not next offseason, he’ll likely top the current highest-paid quarterback.
After imposing the exclusive franchise tag on Madubuike, the Ravens decided to grant him a four-year contract extension worth $98 million, of which $75.5 million was guaranteed. His yearly pay is $24.5 million on average.
“His rookie contract had ended, and if the Ravens want to take advantage of this window with Lamar Jackson, they can’t afford to lose too much talent,” wrote Gagnon.
Even while Madubuike’s career-high 13 sacks in 2023 exceeded the combined total of his previous three seasons, he is by no means the “one-year wonder” that Gagnon speculates he might turn out to be. The 2020 third-round pick was a bench warmer behind more seasoned veterans like Derrick Wolfe and Calais Campbell in his first few seasons in the league. Being one of the team’s lead dogs and playing more than 60% of the defensive snaps overall was a first for him last year.
Before skyrocketing last season, Madubuike’s overall number of tackles increased steadily in each of his first three seasons. His playmaking will probably continue to be disruptive and consistent even if he is unable to score in double digits once more.The 2023 Pro Bowler never had the title of highest-paid player at his position, unlike Jackson. With his retirement, Aaron Donald’s average yearly salary shot him up to the top of the interior defensive linemen rankings. In less than a week following Madubuike’s signing with the Ravens, his contract appeared to be an excellent value. Chris Jones, a defensive tackle with the Kansas City Chiefs, now earns the highest salary of any player ($31.75 million). Christian Wilkins, a free agent signed by the Las Vegas Raiders ($27.5 million), is paid the second highest salary of any player.
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