Baltimore Ravens superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson may have just endured the worst three-week stretch of his career, but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer doesn’t think it’ll affect his ongoing contract extension negotiations with the Ravens.
“I think the Ravens will pay him after the season and pay him near the top of the quarterback market, and I think Jackson’s earned it,” wrote Breer on December 1, acknowledging but ultimately dismissing concerns about Jackson’s durability.
Jackson regularly shoulders a gargantuan load for the Ravens offense as the NFL’s premier dual-threat quarterback, gaining over three-fourths of their total offensive yards this season, despite missing a Week 11 game with the Chicago Bears due to illness.
He’s currently averaging 34.1 passing attempts and 12.3 rushing attempts per game this season, putting him on pace for career-highs in both categories, which, according to Breer, is “an unheard-of workload for a quarterback.”
That has sparked concerns about Jackson’s “sustainability,” this season, most recently after Baltimore’s November 7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.