Lamar Jackson, the franchise quarterback of the Ravens, has a good reason for not attending voluntary OTAs. Upon closer examination of his 2023 contract, it was discovered that he has annual offseason workout bonuses of $750,000. To be eligible for these bonuses, Jackson must participate in 80% of the offseason workouts, excluding mandatory minicamp. However, he has already missed too many workouts to earn the $750,000 this year.
Similar bonuses are also in place for 2025, 2026 and 2027. Initially, it was thought that these payments were offseason roster bonuses but they are actually workout bonuses. Missing out on this bonus will result in a reduction of his 2024 compensation from $32.5 million to $31.75 million. While this may not seem like a significant decrease in his total pay, losing $750,000 is still a substantial amount of money that cannot be recovered. Despite this setback, it is important to note that Jackson’s absence from OTAs does not necessarily reflect his commitment to the team or his performance on the field.
