The famous words of rapper Birdman, “That cash, that 100 million dollar money,” now apply to another member of the Baltimore Ravens. This weekend, Justin Madubuike, Baltimore’s franchise-tagged Defensive Tackle, is the lead NFL story, as he just inked a five-year, $98 million deal.
He’s now the highest-paid DT in the NFL.
We’ve analyzed this deal, which is $24,500,000 per season with $75,500,000 guaranteed. Now it’s time to do an ROI (Return on Investment) analysis on the Ravens’ other four $100m (literally in a couple of cases, close enough in the other two) men.
(Salary figures via Spotrac)
Lamar Jackson, 5yrs, $260,000,000 total, $52,000,000 per, $185,000,000 guaranteed
Let’s get fiscal (not physical) by starting with the most expensive player (in terms of average annual salary and total contract amount) in NFL history. He’s only been in the league since 2018 and won two Most Valuable Player awards. In January 2019, then-Ravens QB1 Joe Flacco was given a 6-year, $120.6 million contract with $52 million guaranteed.
It was massive money then, but it seemed “cute” compared to Jackson’s payday. That’s just what MVP/franchise cornerstone QBs cost these days!
Roquan Smith, 5yrs, $100,000,000 total, $20,000,000 per, $60,000,000 guaranteed
Now that he’s away from the Chicago Bears and signed until 2028, we’ll see what this former Georgia Bulldog can do. The Bears are a very beleaguered and utterly inept franchise right now, so we think Smith will hit another gear and reach his full potential in Charm City.
Talk about the current inflation rate- $20 million annually is crazy money for an inside linebacker.
Ronnie Stanley, 5yrs, $98,750,000 total, $19,750,000 per, $64,166,000 guaranteed
The Notre Dame product was drafted to be a franchise building block, and early on, he looked every bit the part. However, he’s been slowed by injuries and thus has dropped in form in recent years. Now, the Ravens might even be better served by letting him go. We explored that concept here.
Marlon Humphrey, CB, 5yrs, $97,500,000 total, $19,500,000 per, $67,324,566 guaranteed
In today’s NFL, passers, pass rushers, pass blockers, and pass defenders get paid the best (and are also made top priority positions in the draft). The salary scale then drops considerably for everyone else. Over the course of his seven-year career, Humphrey has one first-team All-Pro and three Pro Bowl seasons to credit.
However, a foot injury slowed him down this past season, and his pass break-up numbers have been down the past couple of seasons.
If all these earnings seem absurd to you, don’t hate the player; hate the game. Jackson’s deal was north of a quarter-billion, and his contract indicates how the first ever $1B player deal is not as far off as you might think.
Just embrace it when it happens because, as Jay-Z famously said, “What’s better than one billionaire? Two (Two), especially if they’re from the same hue as you.”