Lamar Jackson, the star quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, recently gave us a rare peek into his life after signing a lucrative contract. This deal not only makes him one of the highest-paid players but also includes a clever move that saved him $7.8 million in agent fees, thanks to his mom’s involvement.
While discussions usually center around game strategies and the team’s future, this interview went beyond the usual sports talk. It revealed the person behind the jersey, Lamar Jackson, off the field. When asked about his first significant purchase post-contract, Jackson’s response was unexpectedly heartwarming.
Lamar Jackson uses $260 million contract to gift Mom a car
During a recent interview, McCourty asked about the first thing Lamar Jackson purchased after his new $260 million contract, prompting reflection on the impact of his newfound wealth.
“So you got the new weapons new offensive coordinator, got the new contract, what was the thing that you purchased and had to take a step back and say Man I cannot believe I have this,” McCourty asked the quarterback.
Jackson shared that instead of indulging in personal luxuries, his first purchase was a new car for his mom, Felicia Jones, reflecting his love and gratitude.
“I didn’t buy anything I needed with the contract. I bought my mom a different car,” Lamar Jackson shared.
The quarterback is thankful to his mom, as she has always been his big support system. Jackson grew up in Pompano Beach, Florida, and, after the tragic loss of his father, witnessed his mother’s dedication to single-handedly raising him and his siblings.
His mom also played a pivotal role as his coach and trusted advisor throughout his football career, continuing post-NFL draft in 2018.
Lamar Jackson himself describes his mom as his ‘Superhero,’ highlighting the strong and positive mother-son bond they share.
Lamar shares insights on embracing the ‘underdog’ mentality
Lamar Jackson has experienced being labeled as an underdog throughout his career. He started his career facing doubts about his position—whether he should play running back or wide receiver instead of quarterback. Questions also arose about his passing abilities at the NFL level.
The uncertainties surrounding Jackson led to him falling in the draft to the last pick in the first round, where the Ravens traded up to select him. The criticism and skepticism about his abilities continued even after he played well with the Ravens and won the NFL MVP IN 2019.
Despite sharing his dream retirement scenario, the QB shared that he has used ongoing criticism as motivation to perform better. During the interview with McCourty, the quarterback expressed a preference for being the underdog, stating that when the team is praised, it actually makes him mad and these doubts about him are rather helpful.
“I like being the underdog so when we’re getting praised that’s when I’m really mad. I’m like ‘man, I don’t wanna hear that stuff. Stop talking about us, talk about the other teams.'”
Lamar Jackson prefers attention to other teams, and being underestimated fuels their performance.
“I like when they’re going at us saying, ‘they’re not the team to beat’ cause people overlooking us. I like being the underdog and then we just show up and show out,” the quarterback added.
He also acknowledged that maintaining the underdog mentality might become challenging as he returns healthy and the team becomes more dominant.
Despite past injuries, Lamar Jackson is currently healthy with a well-equipped team. If the Baltimore Ravens continue to perform well, it’ll eventually become difficult to maintain an underdog image for the QB.
