Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is reportedly losing out on close to $1 million this offseason because of his offseason workout absences.
Last year, Lamar Jackson signed a five-year contract extension with the Ravens worth $260 million, including $185 million in guaranteed money. The 27-year-old repaid the team by winning his second NFL MVP award, and by leading them to their first AFC title game appearance in 11 years.
Unlike many other notable star players, Jackson’s absence from voluntary workouts isn’t motivated by money. However, Jackson’s decision to skip the workouts is also costing him a huge amount of cash.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Lamar Jackson has already lost $750,000 due to missed workouts. Florio noted that the $750,000 stems entirely from workout bonuses:
“There’s another reason for Jackson to have a good reason to not be there. On closer review of his 2023 contract, Jackson has annual offseason workout bonuses of $750,000.
To qualify, he must participate in 80 percent of the offseason workouts, excluding mandatory minicamp. He has already missed too many workouts, we’re told, to earn the $750,000 this year.
An identical payment, with identical terms, is available in 2025, 2026, and 2027.
The annual $750,000 payment were initially believed to be offseason roster bonuses. That is not the case; they are workout bonuses. Failure to earn the bonus drops his 2024 compensation from $32.5 million to $31.75 million.”
“It’s voluntary, not mandatory.” @TheSamAcho on Lamar Jackson’s absence from OTA’s 👀 pic.twitter.com/OpLjnql2gJ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 31, 2024
Jackson’s $260 million contract stands as the fourth-richest in NFL history, behind fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes ($450 million), Joe Burrow ($275 million) and Justin Herbert ($262.5 million).
Ravens OTA workouts conclude on June 7, with mandatory minicamp to follow from June 11 to 13. Baltimore will begin preseason play with a home tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 9.
Lamar Jackson & Ravens Will Open Season At Chiefs
Last month, the 2024 NFL regular season schedule was released. Among the marquee matchups: The Ravens’ season opener against Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Kickoff Game on Sept. 5.
Baltimore hasn’t played in a Kickoff Game since 2013, when they met the Denver Broncos as the defending Super Bowl champions. Because of a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles, the Ravens had to play on the road instead of hosting the Kickoff Game.
Jackson is 1-4 in his career against Mahomes, though three of those losses were decided by one score. Jackson’s only win over Kansas City came in Week 2 of the 2021 season, but the Chiefs made it 4-1 in the series by defeating the Ravens in the 2023 AFC Championship Game.
