Baltimore Ravens fans have learned a ton about the team’s offseason plans recently. General Manager Eric DeCosta and Owner Steve Bisciotti held a press conference on Tuesday, where they revealed their expectations for the upcoming months.
While most questions related to the firing of head coach John Harbaugh and the direction the Ravens anticipate heading with their head coaching search, DeCosta and Bisciotti did highlight some goals for roster construction. Their group disappointed in 2025, and it’s clear several upgrades need to be made. The front office also needs to rework the cap space.
Plenty of players could be in line for extensions, restructures, or even be cut. Among those is quarterback Lamar Jackson, who will almost certainly sign an extension this offseason. His cap hit inflates to an unfathomable $74.5 million in 2026. Bisciotti knows they’ll need to work on a new deal, and he outlined the team’s ideal plan for that on Tuesday.
“I think [Jackson’s] amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal he did,” Bisciotti said. "Although the annual number will be a little higher. I’m hoping that it’s, plug a new number in the same contract he signed last [time] and move on.”
Bisciotti also noted how urgent that situation is becoming.
“We’ve got free agents, and I don’t want to go into free agency with that [cap hit] hanging over our head…Hopefully, [Jackson's] willing to work with Eric and not get this thing dragged out into April…very hard for [DeCosta] to build a roster when that thing is not settled.”
Steve Bisciotti outlines clear thought process with Lamar Jackson’s contract
In a perfect world, Jackson’s contract situation gets settled quickly. The way Bisciotti put it, it sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done.
Obviously, the last time the Ravens were negotiating an extension with Jackson, things didn’t go as planned. They eventually came to an agreement, but as Bisciotti said, it dragged out far too long. With both sides having experience negotiating now, though, it should become a bit easier.
The expectation is that Jackson’s next contract will make him the league’s highest-paid player based on annual salary. Currently, the Dallas Cowboys pay Dak Prescott a league-high $60 million per year. Prescott signed that deal in September 2024, which would make it a reasonable time for a player like Jackson to reset the market.
While it was admittedly an underwhelming campaign from Jackson that was riddled with injuries, it’s obvious the team only goes as far as he takes them. He remains an elite threat any time he steps on the field and a top quarterback in the NFL. The Ravens front office would be silly not to give him that extension.