Lamar Jackson Age: How Old Is the Ravens Quarterback?

Lamar Jackson is 29 years old in November 2026. He was born on January 7, 1997, in Pompano Beach, Florida, in the United States, and he celebrated his 29th birthday on January 7, 2026. He will turn 30 on January 7, 2027. He is the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, and one of the most distinctive players of his generation: a dual-threat quarterback whose running ability changed how teams think about the position.

Jackson’s age is interesting for a different reason from the younger quarterbacks in this series. At 29, he is no longer a prospect or a rising star; he is a veteran in his ninth NFL season, with two MVP awards, multiple playoff appearances, and a record-breaking contract already behind him. The questions fans ask about him now are different: not whether he will become a star, but how long he can sustain his unique style of play, what his next contract will look like, and whether he can add a Super Bowl to a resume that already includes almost every other individual honour.

This article gives the verified facts first — his date of birth, his age calculation, his height, his contract, and his net worth, with an honest explanation of why net worth estimates for Jackson vary so widely — and then traces his career from high school in Florida, through the University of Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy, to Baltimore, where he has become the face of the Ravens franchise.

Lamar Jackson Age: The Quick Answer

• Current age in November 2026: 29 years old
• Date of birth: January 7, 1997
• Birthplace: Pompano Beach, Florida, USA
• Zodiac sign: Capricorn
• Profession: American football quarterback
• Team: Baltimore Ravens
• Height: 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm)
• Estimated net worth: $40 million to $100 million (est.) — see the net worth section for why the range is so wide
• Next birthday: January 7, 2027, when he will turn 30

Because his January birthday falls early in the year, his age is simple to calculate for most of the calendar: 2026 minus 1997 equals 29, and no adjustment is needed from January onwards. Readers who see a page calling him 28 in 2026 are almost certainly reading an article written before January 7, 2026, or one that has confused him with another player.

How His Age Is Calculated

One note of caution is worth making here, because it affects some online sources. There are other athletes with similar names, and a few databases have at times mixed up birth dates, giving April 1998 or other dates for a different player. The NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens star and subject of this article, was born on January 7, 1997, in Pompano Beach, Florida. That date is confirmed by Britannica, by the Ravens and NFL player profiles, and by his Heisman Trophy history, which records him winning the award at 19 in December 2016 — a fact that only fits a January 1997 birth date.

College Career and the Heisman Trophy

Jackson’s college career was spectacular, and his age at its peak is part of the legend.

• 2015 (age 18): Freshman season at Louisville, showing flashes of brilliance as a dual-threat quarterback.
• 2016 (age 19): One of the greatest individual seasons in college football history. He passed for over 3,500 yards and ran for over 1,500 yards, accounting for 51 total touchdowns, and won the Heisman Trophy in December 2016 at the age of 19, making him the youngest winner of the award at that time.
• 2017 (age 20): Another outstanding season, finishing third in Heisman voting, and confirming that 2016 had not been a one-year wonder.

Winning the Heisman Trophy at 19 is a rare achievement. The award is voted for by sports journalists, former winners, and fans, and it usually goes to an older, more experienced player. Jackson won it as a sophomore, on the strength of performances that included games in which he seemed to do everything himself — throwing deep passes, running for long touchdowns, and carrying his team almost single-handedly. The nickname “Action Jackson” and the comparisons to Michael Vick, another revolutionary dual-threat quarterback, both date from this period.

He declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season, at the age of 21, having established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the draft, even as some analysts continued to question whether his style would translate to the professional game.

The NFL Draft and Early Ravens Years

In April 2018, when he was 21 years old, Lamar Jackson was selected 32nd overall — the last pick of the first round — by the Baltimore Ravens. The draft position itself tells a story: five quarterbacks were selected before him in some assessments, and several teams passed on him entirely, partly because of doubts about his passing and partly because his style did not fit the traditional idea of an NFL quarterback. The Ravens, who traded up to select him, saw something different: a player around whom an entire offence could be redesigned.

His early NFL career followed a rapid arc:

• 2018 (age 21): Began as a backup, took over as starter midway through the season, and led the Ravens to the playoffs with a run-heavy offence built around his unique skills.
• 2019 (age 22): Breakout season. He led the NFL in touchdown passes, set the single-season rushing record for a quarterback with over 1,200 rushing yards, and won the NFL Most Valuable Player award unanimously — only the second unanimous winner in history at that time.
• 2020 (age 23): Another strong season, with a playoff victory, confirming that 2019 had not been a fluke.
• 2021–2022 (ages 24–25): Seasons affected by injuries and contract uncertainty, as Jackson played without a long-term extension and negotiated, with his mother’s help and without a traditional agent, for a deal that reflected his value.

The $260 Million Contract and Second MVP

In April 2023, at the age of 26, Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens, including $185 million in guaranteed money and a then-record $72.5 million signing bonus. The deal made him, at the time of signing, the highest-paid player in NFL history by average annual value, at $52 million per year. It was also historically significant because Jackson negotiated it himself, without a traditional sports agent, working with his mother as his business manager — a path no other quarterback had taken to a contract of that size.

The following season, 2023, played mostly at the age of 26 and 27, brought his second MVP award. He led the Ravens to the best record in the AFC, improved as a passer, and showed that his game had evolved: he was still a dangerous runner, but he was now also a more patient, accurate pocket passer, capable of winning games with his arm when defences took away his running lanes. The second MVP placed him in elite company: only a handful of players in NFL history have won the award twice, and even fewer have done so before turning 28.

Lamar Jackson Height and Personal Details

His height is listed as 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) by the NFL and major player databases. That is slightly shorter than some other star quarterbacks, such as Drake Maye at 6 feet 4 inches, but Jackson’s game has never depended on height in the same way: his mobility, vision on the move, and ability to throw from different arm angles compensate for any height difference, and his height has never been a limitation in practice.

Lamar Jackson Net Worth: Why Estimates Vary So Much

Jackson’s net worth is the most difficult figure in this article to state with confidence, and honesty requires explaining why. Published estimates vary enormously, from around $40 million (est.) from Celebrity Net Worth, through around $60 million (est.) from other trackers, to ranges of $40 million to $100 million (est.), and even higher figures of $130 million to $160 million (est.) from some sources. That spread is far wider than for most athletes, and it reflects genuine disagreements about how to count his wealth.

The facts that are not in dispute are these:

• Current contract: Five years, $260 million, signed April 2023, averaging $52 million per year, with $185 million guaranteed and a $72.5 million signing bonus.
• Career NFL earnings: Well over $140 million in salary alone by 2025, and rising substantially with each season of his current contract.
• Forbes earnings ranking: Forbes ranked him among the world’s highest-paid athletes, with total earnings of around $100.5 million in a single recent year when on-field and off-field income were combined — though that figure represents earnings in a year, not net worth.
• Endorsements: More modest than many star quarterbacks, with partnerships including Oakley and other brands, managed through his own company, Era Sports.

Why, then, do net worth estimates differ by tens of millions? Different trackers treat guaranteed future contract money differently: some count the full value of his $260 million contract as if it were already in the bank, while others count only money already received. They also make different assumptions about tax, which is substantial on NFL salaries, about investments, and about business ventures. The $40 million (est.) figure is the most conservative widely cited estimate, while higher figures assume more of his contract value and business interests are counted. The fair summary, used in this article, is a range of $40 million to $100 million (est.), with the note that the true figure depends on accounting choices that no public source can fully resolve. All figures are in US dollars ($), and every net worth figure here carries the (est.) qualification.

What is certain is that Jackson is one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, that his self-negotiated contract saved him millions in agent fees, and that his next contract, if he signs one, could push his career earnings well beyond $400 million. His wealth, like his playing style, is unusual: built less on endorsements than on a playing contract he negotiated himself, with his mother as his closest adviser.

Explore More on CelebWorth

For more NFL age, height, and net worth comparisons, CelebWorth’s tools are a good next step. Use the celebrity age calculator for exact ages, the celebrity height comparison to compare quarterbacks side by side, and the net worth battle to pit two stars against each other. See everything on the tools page or start from the CelebWorth homepage.

For an independent biography, see Britannica’s Lamar Jackson profile.

How the $260 Million Contract Is Built

Lamar Jackson’s current contract is the single biggest number in his financial story, and it is worth understanding piece by piece rather than as one headline figure. Signed in April 2023, when Jackson was 26 years old, the deal is a five-year extension with the Baltimore Ravens worth $260 million in total. Spread across the five years, that works out at $52 million per year on average, and at the time of signing it made him the highest-paid player in NFL history by average annual value. The headline total, however, is only part of the picture, because not every dollar in an NFL contract is paid in the same way or at the same time.

The most important part of the deal for Jackson’s security is the guaranteed money. Of the $260 million total, $185 million is guaranteed, which means that portion is promised to him regardless of injury or form, subject to the normal terms of the contract. Guaranteed money is the figure that matters most when comparing NFL contracts, because the non-guaranteed portion depends on a player staying on the roster and staying healthy across the life of the deal. A contract can look enormous on paper while guaranteeing far less, so the $185 million guaranteed figure is the anchor of Jackson’s deal, and it is the number that gives the contract its real weight.

The deal also included a signing bonus of $72.5 million, which was a record at the time of signing. A signing bonus is paid up front when a player signs, rather than spread across the seasons, so it gives immediate financial security and reflects how much a team values the player at the moment of signing. For Jackson, the bonus was especially significant because of how the deal was negotiated. He negotiated it himself, without a traditional sports agent, working with his mother as his business manager, a path no other quarterback had taken to a contract of that size. One practical benefit of that approach is that he did not pay a traditional agent’s fee on the deal, which on a contract of this size would have run into millions of dollars.

Beyond the contract itself, Jackson’s earnings picture includes money from the field and money from outside it. His career NFL earnings from salary alone stood at well over $140 million by 2025, and that total rises substantially with each season of his current contract. Forbes ranked him among the world’s highest-paid athletes, with total earnings of around $100.5 million in a single recent year when on-field and off-field income were combined. That Forbes figure describes earnings in one year, not net worth, and the distinction matters: a single strong year of earnings does not translate directly into the same amount of kept wealth, because tax, fees, costs and spending all come out of it first.

His endorsement income is more modest than that of many star quarterbacks, with partnerships including Oakley and other brands, managed through his own company, Era Sports. That balance shapes his wealth in an unusual way: it is built less on endorsements than on a playing contract he negotiated himself, with his mother as his closest adviser. Looking ahead, the base article notes that his next contract, if he signs one, could push his career earnings well beyond $400 million. At 29, in his ninth NFL season, that next negotiation is one of the defining questions of the second half of his career.

Why the Net Worth Estimates Vary So Much

Jackson’s net worth is the hardest figure in his profile to state with confidence, and the spread of published estimates is unusually wide. The table below sets out the figures cited in the main article, so readers can see the full range rather than a single number presented as certain.

The reason for the spread is not that one source has secret information and another does not. It is that different trackers make different accounting choices about the same public facts. Some count the full value of his $260 million contract as if it were already in the bank, while others count only money already received. Those two approaches alone can move the total by tens of millions of dollars, because a five-year contract pays out season by season, not all at once. A tracker that counts future seasons as present wealth will always produce a much larger number than one that counts only what has been paid so far.

Trackers also make different assumptions about tax, which is substantial on NFL salaries, about investments, and about business ventures, including his company Era Sports and his endorsement partnerships. None of those private details are public, so every estimate involves guesswork on top of the known contract figures. The fair summary used in the main article is the range of $40 million to $100 million (est.), with the note that the true figure depends on accounting choices that no public source can fully resolve. All figures are in US dollars, and every net worth figure carries the (est.) qualification.

For readers, the practical lesson is to treat any single net worth number for Jackson with caution, and to look for the range and the reasoning behind it. The facts that are not in dispute are the contract terms, the career salary total of well over $140 million by 2025, and the Forbes single-year earnings figure of around $100.5 million. Those are the solid anchors. Everything beyond them is estimation, and honest reporting says so plainly rather than dressing a guess up as a balance sheet.

Lamar Jackson’s Career in Stages

Jackson’s career divides neatly into stages, and his age at each stage explains why his story feels so compressed. He finished high school at Boynton Beach, Florida, at 18, then spent three seasons at the University of Louisville. As a freshman in 2015, at 18, he showed flashes of brilliance as a dual-threat quarterback. In 2016, at 19, he produced one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history, passing for over 3,500 yards and running for over 1,500 yards, accounting for 51 total touchdowns, and winning the Heisman Trophy in December 2016 as the youngest winner at that time. In 2017, at 20, he finished third in Heisman voting, confirming that 2016 had not been a one-year wonder.

• High school and college, ages 18 to 20: Finished high school at Boynton Beach, then three seasons at Louisville, winning the Heisman Trophy at 19 in December 2016 and finishing third in the voting at 20 in 2017.
• Draft and early Ravens years, ages 21 to 23: Selected 32nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens in April 2018, took over as starter midway through his rookie season and led the Ravens to the playoffs, then won the NFL Most Valuable Player award unanimously in 2019 at 22, and followed it with a playoff victory in 2020 at 23.
• Contract uncertainty, ages 24 to 25: The 2021 and 2022 seasons were affected by injuries and by the absence of a long-term extension, as Jackson negotiated, with his mother’s help and without a traditional agent, for a deal that reflected his value.
• The big contract and second MVP, ages 26 to 27: Signed the five-year, $260 million extension in April 2023 at 26, then won his second MVP award in February 2024 at 27, leading the Ravens to the best record in the AFC.
• Veteran star, age 29: Now in his ninth NFL season, no longer a prospect but a veteran with two MVP awards, multiple playoff appearances and a record-breaking contract behind him, and with a Super Bowl and a next contract still to pursue.

Glossary: Terms Behind the Headlines

Several terms appear repeatedly in Jackson’s story, and each one carries a specific meaning that helps readers judge the numbers and the honours attached to his name.

• Dual-threat quarterback: A quarterback who is dangerous both as a passer and as a runner. Jackson’s running ability changed how teams think about the position, and his 2019 rushing record for a quarterback is the clearest example of the threat he poses on the ground.
• Heisman Trophy: The award given each year to the most outstanding player in college football, voted for by sports journalists, former winners and fans. Jackson won it in December 2016 at 19, the youngest winner at that time.
• NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP): The league award for the season’s most valuable player. Jackson has won it twice, in 2019 and 2023, placing him in elite company, since only a handful of players in NFL history have won the award twice, and even fewer before turning 28.
• Unanimous MVP: An MVP award won with every vote. Jackson’s 2019 win was unanimous, making him only the second unanimous winner in history at that time.
• Guaranteed money: The portion of a contract that is promised to the player. In Jackson’s deal, $185 million of the $260 million total is guaranteed.
• Signing bonus: A lump sum paid when a player signs. Jackson’s $72.5 million signing bonus was a record at the time of signing.
• Average annual value: A contract’s total value divided by its length. Jackson’s $260 million over five years averages $52 million per year, which made him the highest-paid player in NFL history by that measure at signing.
• Draft position: The order in which a player is selected. Jackson was selected 32nd overall, the last pick of the first round, in April 2018.

One final point of context is Jackson’s height, listed as 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) by the NFL and major player databases. That is slightly shorter than some other star quarterbacks, such as Drake Maye at 6 feet 4 inches, but Jackson’s game has never depended on height in the same way. His mobility, vision on the move and ability to throw from different arm angles compensate for any height difference, and his height has never been a limitation in practice. It is a useful reminder that the numbers that dominate headlines, whether height, contract totals or net worth ranges, only make sense when read alongside the playing style and career that produced them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson is 29 years old in November 2026. He was born on January 7, 1997.

When is Lamar Jackson’s birthday?

His birthday is January 7. He will turn 30 on January 7, 2027.

How tall is Lamar Jackson?

He is 6 feet 2 inches tall (188 cm).

What team does Lamar Jackson play for?

He plays for the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL.

How many MVP awards has Lamar Jackson won?

He has won the NFL Most Valuable Player award twice, in 2019 and 2023.

What is Lamar Jackson’s contract worth?

His current contract, signed in April 2023, is worth $260 million over five years, with $185 million guaranteed and a $72.5 million signing bonus.

What is Lamar Jackson’s net worth?

Estimates vary widely, from around $40 million (est.) to $100 million (est.) or higher, depending on how future contract money is counted. This article uses the range $40 million to $100 million (est.) as the most honest summary.

Conclusion

Lamar Jackson is 29 years old in November 2026, born on January 7, 1997, in Pompano Beach, Florida. He is the Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback, 6 feet 2 inches tall, a Heisman Trophy winner at 19 and a two-time NFL MVP at 22 and 27, on a five-year, $260 million contract he negotiated himself, with an estimated net worth in the range of $40 million to $100 million (est.). His age marks a turning point: no longer the young revolutionary who changed how quarterbacks play, but a veteran star approaching 30, with a championship still to pursue and a next contract still to negotiate. Whatever comes next, his place in football history is already secure, as the quarterback who proved that a dual-threat player could not only survive in the NFL, but dominate it.