The story of the Baltimore Ravens’ offseason has been their major shift on the coaching front. They’re entering a new era under head coach Jesse Minter, and it’s clear the roster changes that have followed signal a clear reset.
Still, even with all the improvements Baltimore has seen through free agency and the draft, there’s one overwhelming question: Lamar Jackson’s contract. The Ravens reworked the deal this offseason, but now, with two years left on his deal, and an ugly $84.34 million cap hit lingering in 2027, their backs are against the wall. Jackson holds all the leverage.
According to Jason La Canfora, Baltimore is in a tough spot with only one answer. In a recent article for FanSided, he provided some inside scoop on Jackson’s contract negotiations, among other quarterbacks. La Canfora wrote:
“There seems to be but one solution [with Lamar Jackson's contract]: a five-year, fully guaranteed mega-deal that surpassed Dak Prescott’s $60M per year by some significant margin. Everyone I speak to, including other contract negotiators, GMs and agents, believe Jackson has the Ravens check-mated with a no trade and no tag clause. What they can’t figure out is how it got to this point in the first place, again.”
Baltimore Ravens are being forced into a corner they can’t escape with Lamar Jackson contract
La Canfora didn’t stop there. He added that there's really no escaping this situation other than forking up the money that Jackson deserves. La Canfora added:
“Jackson turned down multiple short-term fully guaranteed deals in his last negotiation, sources said, and was adamant then that well more than three years had to be fully guaranteed at signing. That’s not changing now. “He has them by the balls,” another GM said. ‘He doesn’t have to sign anything he doesn’t want to sign, and they can’t carry him at $90M (in 2027).’”
Those GM comments are scary. But also kind of expected.
From a fan’s perspective, it feels like there’s an obvious answer. Make Lamar Jackson the highest-paid player in NFL history. Give him a blank check. He deserves it. Unfortunately, the NFL is a business, and it’s never that simple.
That’s likely how it will all culminate. As La Canfora wrote, there’s really no other scenario where the Ravens can move forward without giving Jackson the money he has rightfully earned. However, it takes two to tango, and it’s becoming clear that while Baltimore’s front office is still an eyeing an extension after the restructure, it also needs to be as team-friendly as possible. There’s a ton of other talent on their roster that they'll need to pay down the line.
Realistically, there should be absolutely no reality where Lamar Jackson isn’t the quarterback in Charm City for the foreseeable future. General manager Eric DeCosta and the company are running out of time to figure it out, though.
Everyone just kind of assumed this offseason would be the one where Jackson inked a new deal. Early offseason signs were pointing toward that, but evidently, nothing came to fruition. Now, they’ve pushed it back pretty much as far as possible, and if an agreement isn’t reached in 2026, the 2027 season could be looking bleak. He just can't play on that cap hit next year.
If there's somehow a world where Jackson isn't the quarterback in 2027...well then that'd be a complete disaster.
Of course, the Ravens have been in this situation before. Back in 2023, Jackson requested a trade, and it appeared his contract negotiations had hit a rut. Eventually, the 29-year-old signed a five-year, $260 million extension. Hopefully, his current deal is resolved in a better fashion, without giving fans heart attacks with a trade request.
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