An agreement has been reached between Roquan Smith and the Baltimore Ravens over a five-year contract extension, and has set a new salary record for a linebacker in the NFL.
The Ravens and Smith have agreed a five-year $100million (£82.2m) deal, meaning that the linebacker is the first in his position to ever earn $20m (£16.45m) per season. From the deal, $45m (£37m) is fully guaranteed, while $60m (£49.5m) has been assured in total guarantees.
Smith is believed to have represented himself throughout the entire negotiation process, and the Ravens can at least relax moving forward about one of their major stars. But speculation remains over the future of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who theoretically could walk away at the end of the season.
Jackson made a big call earlier this season, as he rejected a five-year $250m (£208.5m) deal with the Ravens, that would have seen him make a guaranteed $133m (£111m). It's claimed that Jackson was unsure about committing with the Ravens struggling at the time, and the quarterback may feel as though he's worth more to the franchise.
His demands are somewhat justifiable when factoring in the amount DeShaun Watson was given when signing with the Cleveland Browns back in March, as he signed a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230m (£189m) deal, making it the largest contract and most guaranteed money in NFL history at the time.
The Ravens finished the regular season with a record of 10-7, although Tyler Huntley played a major part as Jackson suffered injury problems. Jackson is in a race to be fit for their playoff clash against Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but any week now could potentially be his last game.
The Ravens have the ability to delay negotiations, allowing them more time to re-sign the former first-round draft pick. It's likely they'll come back with a fresh offer, but Jackson has certainly made sure the franchise understand what he thinks he's worth.
Jackson certainly has the backing of head coach John Harbaugh, who recently said: "You know I love Lamar. I love everything about Lamar. Always have, always will."
But the decision is not in his hands, and Ravens fans face a nervous off-season as they wait to see if Jackson will still be with the organisation at the start of the next campaign. The Ravens have shown they're keen to do business following the Smith deal, but there will be other teams circling.
