The Baltimore Ravens aren’t going anywhere without Lamar Jackson. Last year, they were at least competent with Tyler Huntley running the show. In 2026? It’s been an utter disaster.
Those lingering questions about extending Jackson this offseason are becoming easier and easier to answer: you give him the money he wants.
After another unwatchable performance in Week 9, the Ravens’ struggles without Jackson became painfully obvious. The passing game isn’t explosive at all; the running game needs a dynamic threat like Jackson to open things up; an already inconsistent defense gets worn down and torn to shreds when the offense can’t move the ball.
It’s crazy how big a step back they take without Jackson. They go from a real playoff threat to one of the worst teams in the NFL. The front office can’t even entertain the thought of losing him.
Baltimore Ravens’ future must revolve around Lamar Jackson
Hopefully there isn’t a world where the Ravens trade or fail to extend Lamar Jackson. Because with the way things have gone, that’d be catastrophic. While Jackson’s injuries have brought about questions about his future, the issues without him are overwhelming.
He’s a two-time MVP for a reason, and he’s the true definition of an MVP. He hasn’t only played like the best player in the league for several seasons; his enormous value is clear as day. There may not be another player as valuable to his team as Jackson is.
Over Baltimore’s past four games, they’ve only totaled 43 points. They haven’t posted more than 13 points in a game during that stretch. It’s been nothing short of a failure.
Their yards per game in those four contests is somehow worse. The offense averaged 241.25 yards per game from Week 6 to Week 9. And if you exclude that hot start to their Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the number drops to 181.75 yards per game.
It’s not even an NFL-caliber offense without Lamar Jackson. For context, in the first three games with him healthy, the Ravens averaged 398.7 yards per game and 30.6 points per game.
They truly had the makings of a dangerous team with Jackson. Glaring flaws remained, but the offense looked lethal, and they did enough to keep opposing offenses off the field and make the defense look bearable.
It was expected that things would take a step back with Jackson injured; just not in the capacity they have. There’s almost nothing to like about the group right now.
Jackson seems like he’s the only quarterback who can win behind a terrible offensive line like Baltimore’s; Derrick Henry has done very little of note in the 29-year-old’s absence, and the defense almost always puts the offense in a hole.
Simply put, Jackson is the greatest equalizer of all. Sure, his health is a concern, but that shouldn’t be a problem if the Ravens undergo an offensive line overhaul this offseason. Fix the pass protection, and you unlock the best version of Lamar Jackson.
Baltimore would also escape an $84.34 million cap hit by extending Jackson this offseason. You ink him to a new deal, you can free up more money and build a better team around him.
Jackson’s covering up way too many holes right now. He was still playing like an MVP candidate this year. The organization must keep him around for as long as possible and focus on giving a better offensive line and a more capable defense.
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