The Baltimore Ravens are running out of time to make another long-term commitment with their two-time MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson. This offseason, they restructured his deal, pushing back his astronomically high cap hit another year. It now sits at $84.34 million in 2027.
While at face value, that means Baltimore has two years left before Jackson’s contract expires, they cannot operate with that cap number in 2027. It’s pretty much impossible. They need to get it sorted.
There’s still a whole season between now and the time that decision will have to be made, but the clock is ticking, and that tick is getting louder and louder. In a recent article for ESPN, Dan Graziano asked the question everyone is wondering: How long should we expect Lamar Jackson to stay in Baltimore?
The answer should be for the foreseeable future. The reality, though? We aren’t sure.
Baltimore Ravens are staring down an uncomfortable Lamar Jackson question
Steve Bisciotti and Eric DeCosta made it clear this offseason that they want Lamar Jackson to be part of the team for as long as possible. Jackson feels the same way, too. However, the initial plan was to plug a new number into the structure of his last contract and move forward from there. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
And after those plans fell through, it’s fair to assume there’s at least some uncertainty about what his future holds. As the Ravens enter a new era under Jesse Minter, and for Jackson’s sake, Declan Doyle, things could get wild. Graziano went in-depth on possibly the worst-case scenario for Baltimore in his piece.
"“Baltimore has a new coach in Jesse Minter and a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle. There are high hopes for the offense, but if it doesn't come together, will Jackson be even less eager to do an extension next spring than he was this spring? And if so, do the Ravens look at trading him next offseason? Again, we could be panicking over nothing. But keep these questions in the back of your mind until there's word of a new deal.”"Dan Graziano
Honestly, that’s a completely valid concern. Pretty much everyone you ask around the building is excited for Minter and Doyle. Jackson included. Still, we just don't know how it’ll go down until the regular season gets underway. Maybe, somehow, they fall flat.
It gets even more interesting after the news that the Kansas City Chiefs handed Patrick Mahomes a shiny new extension. As the Ravens wait it out, the price for Jackson is only getting driven up by the day.
Maybe the Mahomes contract is actually a good thing, though. It could iron out a blueprint for what Jackson ends up getting. Sure, he’ll probably reset the market again, but there’s at least a range in place for what a player of his caliber should sign for. That might make talks with the 29-year-old a tad easier.
In a perfect world, the Ravens and Jackson agree on an extension before the regular season, and hopefully, they move with the urgency to get that done. If they fail to meet on a price point before then, though, more questions could start to arise. Bigger and more concerning questions.
The two sides usually shelve extension talks during the regular season, so if there’s nothing finalized before the start of the 2026 campaign, we may have to wait for a Jackson deal to come next offseason. If that’s the case, the Ravens would be playing with fire.
Although there’s plenty of optimism, the question about Jackson’s future is certainly unsettling.
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