National Football League

Lamar Jackson's success, contract status will cost Ravens

Updated Oct. 28, 2022 6:31 p.m. ET

Lamar Jackson has insisted he will not be talking about a contract extension during the season. His play continues to make the case for him.

The former NFL MVP sent another impactful message during and after the Baltimore Ravens' 27-22 victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.

Jackson, who previously said that he hopes to play the rest of his career in Baltimore, was leaving the field when a fan's sign fell into the tunnel from the stands. It caught his attention so much so that he backtracked to find who it belonged to and proceeded to autograph the "Pay 'em now!" sign and gave the fan a high five.

With the win, Baltimore has a solo lead in the AFC North at 5-3 (Cincinnati has a chance to tie that mark on Sunday). Jackson checks in with the 10th-most passing yards this season (1,635), third-most passing touchdowns (15) and the sixth-best QB rating (63.0).

Per usual, his ground game is even more impressive. He's leading the NFL in yards per carry (7.4) while collecting 553 yards. It's the fourth-highest mark in the league, topping the likes of superstar backs Derrick Henry (536 rushing yards), Dalvin Cook (450), Ezekiel Elliot (443), Aaron Jones (432) and Christian McCaffrey (431).

On Friday's "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe shared his thoughts on Jackson's performance and fan interaction that has sent social media and the sports world ablaze.

"I love this man's authenticity," Sharpe said. "He did what he did in the second half without Mark Andrews, without [Rashod] Bateman. Gus Edwards goes down. … Whatever the Ravens thought they were gonna have to pay him or didn't wanna pay him, they're gonna have to give it up. … It's gonna cost them, and deservingly so.

"Whatever they thought Lamar Jackson could be when they selected him … he's better than what they thought."

Jackson completed 27 of 38 passes — that was a season high in attempts — for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Ravens' win over the Bucs. He added nine carries for 43 yards. Jackson also compiled his second-best passing yardage total of the season and threw multiple scores for the first time since Week 3, despite losing multiple offensive stars to injuries.

Skip Bayless echoed his cohost's thoughts, pointing out just how much Jackson said with his actions.

"I thought it was extremely significant that he — on the fly — stopped and looked down at that sign," Bayless said. "I think he lives and dies for [the] Baltimore Ravens. … He plays with his heart. His football character is high. He is all-in. … He is very unhappy with the way he's being treated, and I don’t blame that one ounce."

Jackson previously turned down a $250 million extension with $133 million guaranteed from Baltimore ahead of the season. While the deal offered him more max money than QBs Kyler Murray ($230.5 million, $160 million guaranteed) and Russell Wilson ($245 million, $165 million guaranteed), Jackson reportedly wanted a fully-guaranteed contract like Deshaun Watson's deal with the Cleveland Browns ($230 million).

Jackson is currently playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie-scale deal, which will net him roughly $23 million. The 25-year-old star will be eligible for a franchise tag next season that could pay him north of $45 million. If he isn't tagged or extended, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.