A good leader ensures that there is enough for everyone to eat. NFL teams don’t function too differently. With active team rosters made up of 53 players, salary disparity often becomes an impeding factor in an organisation’s title-chasing ambitions. The quarterback position is undoubtedly the most important one on the gridiron. However, the position comes with some financial sacrifice sometimes. Lamar Jackson somehow dodged that bullet, but still helped out his organization in freeing up the cap room. How?

Taking pay cuts to accommodate more able weapons in the roster is no uncommon feat among signal-callers in the NFL. Seven-time Lombardi winner Tom Brady did that. More recently, Kansas City Chiefs star boy Patrick Mahomes also sacrificed money for another title. However, Lamar held out for his deal instead of sacrificing. And somehow, he helped his team clear more cap space than Brady and Mahomes.

Lamar Jackson pulls off a financial miracle for the Ravens

After going back and forth over a year, the Baltimore Ravens made Lamar Jackson the highest-paid NFL player in average annual value with a 5-year $260 million extension. This came days after the Ravens put the non-exclusive franchise tag on LJ, entitling him to a $32.416 million payout in 2023. However, the Heisman winner wasn’t satisfied and demanded a trade before the Ravens changed their mind. Ari Meirov released Lamar Jackson’s year-by-year pay break. And looks like signing Action Jackson for the long haul was always the smartest option.

According to the new deal, Lamar is slated to make $22 million in 2023, as opposed to the $32.416 million he was going to get as the non-exclusive franchise QB. If the Ravens tagged him as the franchise QB for 2023, the cap hit would have been a whopping $45 million. Now, Lamar has what he wants, which was long-term security. And the Ravens ended up saving $23 million in cap room.

ALSO READ: Lamar Jackson Remembers Fit of Anger Upon Inability to Help Team, Months Before Signing $260,000,000 Deal

This could have played a major role in securing the services of Super Bowl LVI champion wideout Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason. However, LJ did it way smoother than Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady.

How Jackson one-upped Mahomes and Brady’s sacrifice

Lamar Jackson did not agree to a smaller deal for himself like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have done in the past. Brady took a pay hit of almost $10 million when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Certainly, the decision bore fruit as the Bucs were able to gather the correct weapons to surround TB12 and clinch Super Bowl LV.

Pat Mahomes went down a similar road as he selflessly agreed to convert $12 million from his roster bonus into a signing bonus, helping the Chiefs to clear around $10 million in cap room for the 2023 season. That’s a combined $20 million saved by Brady and Mahomes, compared to LJ’s $23 million. While these two compromised for the good of the team, Lamar helped the Purple Rain more by holding out.

All that is left for the 2019 NFL MVP to achieve is to get his hands on the coveted Super Bowl trophy. Can Action Jackson help the Purple and Black army reach the promised land this season?