The Baltimore Ravens find themselves backed into a corner of another Lamar Jackson contract situation. Not too long ago, fans were haunted by Jackson requesting a trade as the end of his rookie contract neared. This time around doesn’t feel as worrisome, but it’s still a dilemma the Ravens need to get out of.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way out. It’s going to be a very high price to retain Jackson, and deservedly so—he will undoubtedly reset the market. However, it’s going to be much tougher not only because of how Jackson’s current contract is structured, but also because of the state of the rest of the NFL.
Simply put, things could get scary for Baltimore.
Baltimore Ravens must escape Lamar Jackson contract situation before it’s too late
Everyone already knows about the storm cloud that is looming over Baltimore if an agreement on a new deal isn’t reached with Jackson soon. After reworking his contract this offseason, the 29-year-old’s cap hit for 2026 shrunk…but it grew drastically for 2027. It sits at an unfathomable $84.34 million once the calendar turns to that year.
It could get far worse, though. On an appearance on Good Morning Football, NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero highlighted just how treacherous the mountains are for the Ravens if negotiations don’t start trending in the right direction.
“Lamar Jackson has two years left on his contract. He also has a no-tag clause, which means if he plays out 2026 and 2027, the Ravens cannot restrict his movement. He has the potential to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028,” Pelissero said. “Think of who’s eligible for a contract extension after this season…Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix. For the Ravens, they know that not only does a $60 million quarterback potentially become a $70 million quarterback, but the further into this deal that Lamar gets, the more leverage he has.”
When you put it into perspective like that, Jackson really has the Ravens’ hands tied. The cap hit already has them playing with fire, and if they try to continue to push that down the line into void years, then they’d be walking a very expensive and very risky tightrope. Pelissero’s update on the situation makes it all sound even worse.
Baltimore probably wouldn’t want to use the franchise tag even if they had the option to. Unfortunately, with a no-tag clause in Jackson’s deal, there’s no doomsday scenario for the organization to fall back on. And looking at how the quarterback market is moving, that doomsday scenario might be more likely than some would like to admit.
Once the 2024 quarterback class can start negotiating extensions, it’s going to get really bad for the rest of the league. If you’re a team like the Ravens looking to extend their franchise quarterback, you have to get it done sooner rather than later. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix are all at minimum Pro Bowl-caliber guys who will demand near top dollar. Some of them could even reset the market, which would benefit Jackson if he were still without a new deal, but significantly hurt the Ravens.
If the Ravens somehow don’t re-up Jackson’s deal by the time the likes of Williams, Daniels, Maye, and Nix start putting pen to paper, the front office is going to be in major trouble. The two-time MVP will see an already expensive salary skyrocket. It’s a reality that Eric DeCosta must do everything in his power to avoid.
The two sides need to work more quickly to reach an agreement, and with Jackson wanting to remain in Charm City, it shouldn't be a huge problem. Still, the NFL is a business. If the Ravens play coy and don't fork up the money they need to, things could turn sour. Hopefully, we avoid that.
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