Trent Dilfer is now 54 years old. If the Baltimore Ravens had been able to reach him yesterday afternoon, he would have been on his way to Orchard Park, NY to suit up for them under centre in yesterday’s frustrating and disjointed game against the Bills at the new Highmark Stadium. After leading the Ravens to their first Superbowl title in 2000, Dilfer remains the only Superbowl-winning quarterback to be released by his team following a championship run. Not to take away from what Joe Fagnano, the undrafted free-agent quarterback who played his college football for the Maine Black Bears and the UConn Huskies, was able to do yesterday in a “emergency” quarterback role after the Ravens first and second-string quarterbacks went down with injuries in the first half. The Ravens were energized going into the game with their two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson back in the line-up after missing the last three games with a high-ankle sprain. But on the team’s first offensive play, Jackson dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand and is now out for a minimum of another four games (and possibly the remainder of the season), with surgery required.
Lamar Jackson is certainly one interesting cat. He remains
one of the few elite athletes in the world who does not and has never had an
agent representing him. Drafted 32nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens
in 2018, he and his mother negotiated his rookie contract with the team, saving
him the usual 3% of his salary which NFL agents generally command. In early 2023,
with his rookie deal having expired at the end of the previous season and
Jackson engaging in protracted and unsuccessful contract negotiations with the Ravens,
he faced widespread criticism for handling a deal worth hundreds of millions of
dollars entirely on his own (with only his mother as his key advisor) against a
sophisticated NFL team owner (Steve Bisciotti) and his attorneys. Turning down
multiple offers from other teams, he held firm with the Ravens and it paid off
spectacularly. In April, 2023, Jackson signed a five-year deal with the Ravens
worth $260 million with $135 million guaranteed, making him the highest paid
player in NFL history (at the time). For those trying to do the arithmetic, 3%
of $260 million is just under $8 million. Unfortunately for Jackson, he didn’t
notice the part Bisciotti snuck into the fine print at the end of the contract
but Jackson says he really doesn’t mind changing the oil in Bisciotti’s Aston
Martin and he always remembers to tighten the oil pan plug to the required
torque setting. Either way, he and his mother are quite happy to have the extra
$8 million. Critics still argue that Jackson’s choice to self-represent has
cost him dearly in terms of non-football earnings as he currently has no shoe
deal, no apparel deals and (almost) no national television advertising exposure.
By comparison, we now see multiple television ad campaigns featuring Josh Allen,
Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow in addition to many years of seeing Patrick Mahomes
and Aaron Rodgers peddling insurance and pick-up trucks. An agent may have
secured Jackson his requisite non-football income but only after his public
image had been polished to the point where sponsors were comfortable with him
representing their brands. His reputation as a quiet, if not aloof and private athlete,
a bit rough around the edges and a with not-ready-for-prime-time demeanor is
probably a true reflection of who he really is. And fair enough. After all,
$135 million guaranteed, of which he keeps 100% (before tax) is pretty good -
and probably good enough - for a kid who grew up in relative poverty in Pompano
Beach, FL.
Yesterday’s injury notwithstanding, Jackson has also faced
criticism for taking too long to recover from injuries and missing too many games.
Due it seems to his style of play, he does suffer injury more than the average
NFL quarterback does and he also seems to recover from injury on his own
schedule. Would an agent make a
difference with this? Last week for example, on the Friday before Sunday’s home
game against the Bengals, he was widely expected to play but when Saturday
came, he was declared to be out for the third straight game. The Ravens lost the
key division game badly. With a game against the Jaguars coming up three days
from now and the status of second-string quarterback Tyler Huntley uncertain,
the Ravens season is hanging by a thread.
As for the Bills, now at 6-1, there were some positives to
take away from their 26-point win. The defence, and in particular the secondary,
looked much better than in previous weeks but the competition they were facing probably
justifies a large asterisk beside their performance. The offence, sputtery and
inconsistent through the first half, still somehow managed to put up 426 yards
and 36 points on the day. Who knows how much they can score If they ever really
get rolling. The bye week was obviously beneficial for rest and injury rehab
but the team looked a little rusty yesterday and I wonder how the game would
have played out if Lamar Jackson had been played more than one snap.
I saw a photo of Larry Csonka yesterday with a glass of
champagne in his hand after the Minnesota Vikings lost for the first time,
leaving no undefeated teams in the NFL in 2026. It only took until week eight for
Csonka and his teammates to perform their ritual of celebrating another year for
which their undefeated record will stand. Csonka and his 1972 Miami Dolphins recorded
the NFL’s only perfect season when they went 17-0, with 14 regular season wins
and a Superbowl championship. The longest they waited was 19 years ago when the
champagne sat on ice until February 3, 2008 when the 2007 New England Patriots
came closest to matching the record with a perfect regular season and playoffs
but a loss to the New York Giants in Superbowl XLII.
Next up for the Bills is another prime-time game a week from
tonight in Minneapolis against those Vikings who will be looking to avoid a second
straight loss.
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