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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has amassed 125 touchdowns in his NFL career.
The LSU Tigers alum has racked up 101 passing touchdowns and 24 rushing touchdowns in 70 games. The 2019 unanimous league MVP is one of the best players at his position. He has led the Ravens to successful seasons in every season when he has been a starter.
However, currently Jackson is in the news for things that aren't exclusive to the gridiron. The perennial league MVP candidate has been in a contract standoff with the Ravens since last off-season, which has threatened to derail his legacy.
We hope that Jackson and the Ravens reach a compromise, but till then, let's have a look at how special the first five years of Jackson's NFL career have been.
Analyzing Lamar Jackson's NFL career so far
Lamar Jackson entered the NFL as the 32nd overall pick of a reasonably stacked 2018 NFL draft class.
Jackson entered the league with some questions regarding his game. These questions ranged from whether he had a strong enough throwing arm or was better off playing as a running back. However, it did not take Jackson too long to quieten his doubters, as he became the second player to win the unanimous NFL MVP award in just his second season. The only other player to be crowned the unanimous league MVP is the recently retired GOAT Tom Brady.
Since his MVP season, Jackson has helped the Ravens remain competitive and regularly reach the postseason despite having one of the NFL's most mediocre wide receiver units. Jackson has put up a career NFL stat line of 12,209 passing yards, 101 passing touchdowns and 38 interceptions in 70 games. He has also added 4,437 rushing yards and 24 ground touchdowns.
What did the NFLPA say about Lamar Jackson's contract impetus?
DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Players Association executive director, said the following about Lamar Jackson's contract situation in Baltimore:
"Let us be clear, in my nearly 15-year career as Executive Director, I haven't witnessed teams being so quick to publicly announce their disinterest in an MVP quarterback, who is in the prime of his career and who is also going to get an injury guarantee, regardless of the contract.
"The fact is that league owners detest fully guaranteed contacts because they are more favorable for the players than for the owners. As such, these contracts control the player, allow them to benefit the most from the arrangement, and limit the power of the owner and the team."
The above echoes the sentiments shared by players and analysts about the Lamar Jackson situation.
The NFL likely wants to make a statement of declining Lamar Jackson's contract demands. The league isn't eager to afford star players fully guaranteed max contracts, and they want Deshaun Watson's case to be an anomaly rather than a precedent.
