Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is the starting quarterback for the NFL team Baltimore Ravens. The young quarterback is one of the best in the league right now. His throwing is very potent and it is coupled with the unique threat of his speed as a rusher. He is recorded to have completed a 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds. He holds the record for most games with a perfect passer rating in the same season (2), which he achieved in the 2019 season when he also won MVP, becoming the fourth African-American quarterback and only the second unanimous MVP. This record is tied with Ben Roethlisberger.

Lamar Jackson’s Early Life and Background

Lamar Jackson was born on January 7, 1997, to Felicia Jones and Lamar Jackson Sr. He grew up in Pompano Beach, an economically distressed part of Florida. He attended public school with current Ravens teammate Marquise Brown. He was an outstanding quarterback at Boynton Beach High School and joined Louisville Highschool as a quarterback too. While in college he also won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award, and during his sophomore year in 2016, he was unanimously selected as an All-American at the University of Louisville. In 2016, after the leap he made in the Syracuse game, he was awarded a Louie for Play of the Year. Jackson also won a Louie for being named the Adidas High-Performance Male Athlete of the Year in 2017, for his outstanding sophomore campaign. He finished his college career with a total of 9043 passing yards, 69 touchdown passes, and 4132 rushing yards.

Lamar Jackson’s Collegiate Career

As a freshman at Louisville in 2015, Jackson played in 12 games and made 8 starts, tallying 135 completed passes for 1,840 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions and ran for 960 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He was named MVP of the 2015 Music City Bowl after passing for 227 yards with two touchdowns and rushing for a Music City Bowl record- 226 yards and two touchdowns. In his first game as a sophomore, Jackson set a university record for 8 total touchdowns, all in the first half. On December 8, Jackson was awarded the Walter Camp Award as the player of the year and the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in college football. On December 10, 2016, Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the award at the age of 19 years and 337 days. Jackson also won a Louie for being named the Adidas High-Performance Male Athlete of the Year for his outstanding sophomore campaign. He also won a Louie for Play of the Year. In the 2017 season, Jackson finished in third place for the Heisman, totaling 3,660 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions to go along with 232 carries for 1,601 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Following the 2017–18 school year, Jackson was named the men's ACC Athlete of the Year for all conference sports, sharing honors with women's winner Arike Ogunbowale of Notre Dame basketball.

Who Drafted Lamar Jackson?

The dual-threat quarterback entered the 2018 NFL Draft. While many pundits recommended that he switch to wide receiver, Jackson was adamant about playing as a quarterback. He declined to run drills such as the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine, to focus on displaying his passing skills. Jackson reportedly clocked in a 4.34 40-yard dash time in 2017 at Louisville which would have been the fastest time in NFL history for a quarterback. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson as pick number 32 of Round 1 of the 2018 Draft. He was the fifth quarterback to be selected in the draft. Running back Saquon Barkley, cornerback Denzel Ward, and quarterback Mike White are some of the prominent names who were drafted along with Jackson in 2018.

Lamar Jackson’s NFL Journey

Jackson signed a rookie contract with the Baltimore Ravens when he was drafted by them in 2018. His first appearance came as a relief for quarterback Joe Flacco, in a match against the Buffalo Bills. He made his debut as a starter against the Cincinnati Bengals where he made a franchise record for most rushing yards by a quarterback (117) in a single game. Jackson became the team's starting quarterback quickly after he began his rookie season as a backup. In his rookie season, Jackson became the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game. He also led the team to the AFC North division title. In his first full season as a starter, Jackson set a record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in the 2019 season. He also led the league table with 36 touchdown passes. He was awarded the 2019 NFL’s Most Valuable Player for his tremendous skills and extraordinary performance in the 2019 season, making him the second-youngest player to achieve this feat, and only the second player to receive a unanimous selection for the award.

Jackson contracted COVID-19 when training was going on for the 2021 season. He however started in the First Week after recovering and finished the game against the Raiders with 235 passing yards and a passing touchdown. He suffered an ankle injury in the Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns and ended up missing the remainder of the 2021 season. Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl for his performances at the beginning of the season.

Lamar Jackson teams

Baltimore Ravens (2018-Present)

On June 5, 2018, Jackson signed his rookie contract, reportedly worth $9.47 million with a $4.97 million signing bonus. Jackson got his first start when Flacco was injured and ended up becoming the starting quarterback for the Ravens. He finished the season with 1,201 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, and three interceptions. In addition, he led all quarterbacks with 695 rushing yards and added five rushing touchdowns. Jackson became the youngest quarterback to start an NFL playoff game in a Wild Card rematch. He finished the game by completing 14 of 29 passes for 194 yards, the two aforementioned touchdowns, and an interception while rushing for 54 yards, losing one fumble.

After an offseason of shuffling personnel and strategies to cater to Jackson’s skills, Jackson started his historic 2019 season with a 324-yard, 5-touchdown game, making him the youngest quarterback to achieve a perfect passer rating. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and there was no looking back after that. He followed up with two touchdowns setting the Ravens’ franchise record for most touchdown passes in the team’s first two games of a season, while also becoming the first NFL player to pass for more than 250 yards and rush for 120 yards in a single game. He also became the first player in NFL history to pass for more than 200 yards and rush for 150 yards in a regular-season game. He became only the second player in NFL history to produce two perfect passer ratings in the same season. Jackson joined Aaron Rodgers (2019) and Joe Montana (1989) as the only players in the Super Bowl era with 15-plus completions, 3-plus passing touchdowns, 1-plus rushing touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating in a single game. During Week 11 against the Houston Texans, Jackson became the first quarterback in franchise history to throw four or more touchdowns in a game multiple times during the regular season after he threw for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson also rushed for 86 yards during the victory over the Texans, making him the only quarterback in NFL history to rush for more than 60 yards in seven consecutive games He also became the first player to have 5 touchdowns in a Monday Night Football debut and the youngest player with multiple five touchdown passing games in NFL history. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time, and also named AFC Player of the Month for November. In the next game, he became the first quarterback in NFL history with four 100-yard rushing games in a season. In Week 14, Jackson became the first quarterback since Michael Vick to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. His five passing touchdowns in Week 15 made him the sixth player since the merger to have three games with at least five passing touchdowns in a season and tied the Ravens franchise season record with 33. In Week 16, he broke the record with an additional 3 touchdowns. Even without playing in the Ravens' final game, Jackson led all quarterbacks with 36 touchdown passes and a QBR of 81.10; he also led all rushers with a 6.9 yards per carry average. He was also first with 43 total touchdowns and a 9.0 passing touchdown percentage. He became the youngest quarterback to start in a Pro Bowl game and was eventually voted the MVP of the 2019 season. He became the second player after Tom Brady in 2010 to be voted unanimously for the award. Jackson finished the Divisional Round game with 31 of 59 passes completed, for 365 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while also losing a fumble on a strip sack. He also rushed 20 times for 143 yards becoming the first player to throw for 300+ yards and rush for 100+ yards in a playoff game. In total, Jackson personally accounted for over 500 yards of offense. He started off the 2020 season with an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his 275-yard and three-touchdown performance. In Week 4, Jackson threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 52 yards and one touchdown, making him the fastest player in NFL history to reach 5,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing. Jackson missed a significant amount of time due to COVID-19. A week after his return, Jackson set an NFL record for most rushing yards by a QB on Monday Night Football as he rushed for 124 yards. Jackson had two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in the game and was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 14. In Week 17, Jackson became the first NFL QB to have multiple seasons surpassing 1,000 rushing yards. Jackson threw for 179 yards and one interception and rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown in the Wild Card Round for his first playoff victory.

On April 30, 2021, the Ravens exercised the fifth-year option on Jackson's contract, worth a guaranteed $23 million for the 2022 season. He was again diagnosed with COVID-19 around the start of training camp. In Week 5, Jackson threw for a career-high and Ravens franchise record 442 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 62 yards. Jackson also became the first quarterback to have an 85%+ completion rate while throwing 40+ passes. The next week, Jackson set the record for the most victories as a starting quarterback under the age of 25 at 35. Jackson suffered an injury in Week 14, thereby missing the rest of the season. He was named to his second Pro Bowl at the end of the season.

Championships and Rings Won by Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is yet to appear in a Super Bowl. The Ravens haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl since 2013 (Super Bowl XLVII). Since Jackson joined the Ravens, they are also yet to win a Conference Championship. The young quarterback awaits winning his first ring as an NFL player.

Player Awards and Honours

Lamar Jackson NFL Records

1. The first quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons (2019, 2020)

2. The first player to finish with 400 yards passing, four touchdown passes, no interceptions, and 50 yards rushing in a game (Week 5, 2021 vs Indianapolis Colts)

3. Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season: 1,206 (2019)

4. Most rushing attempts by a quarterback in a season: 159 (2019)

5. Most regular season 100+ rushing yards games by a quarterback: 5 (2019)

6. Most career 75+ rushing yard games by a quarterback: 22

7. Most career 100+ rushing yards games by a quarterback: 10 (tied with Michael Vick)

8. Most perfect passer ratings in a season (tied with Ben Roethlisberger): 2 (2019)

9. Most wins by a quarterback under the age of 25 (35)

10. Most consecutive wins by a QB vs. NFC to begin a career: 12 (tied with Ken Stabler)

11. Most games with at least 250 passing yards and 100 rushing yards: 3 (tied with Cam Newton)

12. Most games with 200+ passing yards and 75+ rushing yards: 9 (tied with Russell Wilson)

13. Youngest quarterback to ever start a playoff game: 21 years, 364 days (2018 Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Chargers)

14. Youngest quarterback to achieve a perfect passer rating: 22 years, 244 days (Week 1, 2019)

15. Youngest quarterback to start a Pro Bowl game

16. Highest completion percentage (86%) in a 400-yard passing game (Week 5, 2021 vs Indianapolis Colts)

17. Highest completion percentage (86%) when attempting more than 40 passes (Week 5, 2021)

18. Highest touchdown passing percentage (7.4%) in the Super Bowl Era (minimum 500 attempts)

Lamar Jackson's Net Worth

Lamar Jackson has a net worth of about $40 million. Just recently, Jackson has signed a huge 5 year deal worth $260 million making him the highest paid player in the NFL for a brief amount of time before the Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert overtook him. His net worth is now set to increase tenfold.

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Lamar Jackson Contract

Lamar Jackson’s rookie contract was originally 4 years long and ran till 2021. After speculation of an extension, the Ravens exercised the 5th-year option of his contract. He is now slated to remain with the Baltimore Ravens for the 2022 NFL season. With the latest contract which he signed with the Ravens, Jackson has a 5 year deal worth $260 million and includes a $72,500,000 signing bonus, plus $185,000,000 guaranteed money, and an average annual salary of $52,000,000.

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Lamar Jackson House

The mainstay of the Baltimore Ravens is currently residing in a 7,995 sq. ft residence in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Lamar Jackson family

Jackson was born to Felicia Jones and Lamar Jackson Sr. on January 7, 1997. He grew up in the center of an economically distressed section of Pompano Beach, Florida. Jackson's father died from a heart attack on the same day his grandmother died in 2005 when Jackson was 8 years old. His siblings and he were raised by their mother. He’s been dating Jaime Taylor since his college days.

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