Lamar Jackson is an American quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL. He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2016. The Ravens picked him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Jackson became the starting quarterback and the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game.
Lamar led the league in touchdown passes in 2019 and set a record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season. He was named the NFL’s unanimous MVP and became the second player to earn that honor and the fourth Black quarterback to win the award. Jackson later became the first quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons, leading the Ravens to several playoff appearances.
In 2023, Lamar won his second MVP award and took the team to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 2012. By 2024, Jackson had reached career highs in passing and became the all-time leader in rushing yards for quarterbacks. He is also the only quarterback with four perfect passer rating games in NFL history.
Lamar Jackson Biography
Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. was born on January 7, 1997, in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA, and is 28 years old as of 2025. His height is around 6 feet.
Lamar Jackson College Career
Lamar Jackson attended public schools and played Pop Warner football in Florida, where he competed with NFL players. By age 11, he led his youth football team, the Northwest Broward Raiders, to win the South Florida FYFL Super Bowl.
Lamar was recruited by several top college football programs, including Auburn, Ohio State, and Florida State. However, he chose to attend Louisville after coach Bobby Petrino assured him he would play quarterback. As a freshman, Jackson passed for 1,840 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions while also rushing for 960 yards and 11 touchdowns. He helped the team achieve an 8–5 record and led them to a win against Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, where he was named MVP. 1britannicaÂ
Lamar Jackson’s Wife & Daughter
Lamar’s girlfriend’s name is Jaime Taylor and they have a daughter named Milan, whom he calls by her nickname: “Lani”.
Lamar Jackson Parents
Lamar Jackson was born to Felicia Jones and Lamar Jackson Sr. When he was eight, both his father and grandmother passed away on the same day. After that, Lamar and his siblings were raised by their mother. 2thestreetÂ
Lamar Jackson’s Career in Baltimore Ravens
On January 5, 2018, Lamar Jackson announced he would enter the NFL draft and he insisted on staying at quarterback. At the NFL Combine, he chose not to run drills like the 40-yard dash and focused on showing his passing skills. In 2017, he was timed running a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at Louisville.
The Baltimore Ravens selected Lamar Jackson in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 32nd overall pick after trading up with the Philadelphia Eagles. On June 5, 2018, Jackson signed his rookie contract, worth $9.47 million, including a $4.97 million signing bonus.
Jackson debuted in the NFL during a win against the Buffalo Bills. He recorded 24 passing yards and 39 rushing yards. In Week 7, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard run in a close loss to the New Orleans Saints. After that, against the Carolina Panthers, he threw his first touchdown pass, a 26-yard completion to rookie tight end Hayden Hurst, during a 36–21 loss.
Lamar started the next season and completed 20 of 25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a win against the Browns and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Then, he became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 5,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards.
Later, in a game against the Browns, Jackson throws a game-winning touchdown, earning another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. He finished the season as the first quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons and won his first playoff game against the Titans. However, his season ended with a concussion in the Divisional Round loss to the Bills.
Jackson began the next season with a win over the Chiefs—his first victory against Patrick Mahomes. He set a career-high with 442 passing yards in an overtime win against the Colts, showcasing his record-breaking dual-threat ability.
Lamar broke Michael Vick’s record for the most 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. Unfortunately, a knee injury in Week 13 sidelined him for the rest of the season, including the playoffs.
Jackson signed a record-breaking five-year deal with the Ravens. He had great performances throughout the season, including a Week 7 game where he threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He became the fastest quarterback to reach 5,000 career rushing yards and led the Ravens to the top seed in the AFC. Jackson’s season ended with a loss in the AFC Championship, but he won his second MVP award.
In a game against the Chiefs, Lamar ran for 122 yards and led wins over the Cowboys and Bills with a passer rating above 135 in both games. On October 6, he threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in an overtime win against the Bengals.
In Week 7, against the Buccaneers, Jackson threw for 281 yards, five touchdowns, and achieved a near-perfect passer rating, leading the Ravens to a victory and extending their winning streak. He was later named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October.
Jackson had a perfect passer rating for the fourth time in his career in a Week 9 win over the Broncos, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 10, he led a comeback against the Bengals, throwing for 197 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He became the only player with five touchdowns and no interceptions in the fourth quarter against a single opponent in one season.
Against the Chargers in Week 12, Jackson threw for two touchdowns and added a rushing score in a 30–23 win. In Week 15, he became the first quarterback to achieve over 250 passing yards, five touchdowns, an 80% completion rate, no interceptions, and 50 rushing yards in a single game during a win over the Giants.
On Christmas Day, Jackson surpassed Michael Vick as the all-time leading rusher for a quarterback during a win against the Texans. He ended the season by leading the Ravens to an AFC North title with a win over the Browns. Jackson became the first player to record over 4,000 passing yards and 900 rushing yards in a single season, threw 41 touchdowns with just four interceptions, and set records for efficiency and dual-threat performance. 3wikipedia
Lamar Jackson’s Net Worth
As of January 2025, Forbes reported that Jackson’s net worth is around $100.5 million, which ranked him among the world’s highest-paid athletes. This is because his contract extension with the Ravens was signed in May 2023, which included a $72.5 million signing bonus. 4thestreet
Read Another BiographyÂ
