The Baltimore Ravens enter a 2026 offseason that feels less like a typical transition and more like a total systemic reset.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the halls of the Under Armour Performance Center aren't echoing with John Harbaugh’s voice. Instead, they hired a new head coach in Jesse Minter. who is tasked with a puzzle that would make a mathematician sweat: How do you build a championship roster when your quarterback carries a $74.5 million cap hit?
This is the singular, suffocating question the Ravens must answer before the draft clocks start ticking in April.
What the Ravens must do to build a bright future around Lamar Jackson
The Linderbaum Lever
At the heart of the financial storm sits Tyler Linderbaum. The Pro Bowl center is a pending free agent and, quite simply, the most important player on the roster not named Lamar. Yes, more important than Derrick Henry. After a 2025 season where the interior offensive line often looked like a revolving door, Linderbaum was the only constant.
However, the center market has exploded. Projections suggest Linderbaum will command upwards of $18M to $20M per year, potentially resetting the market for the position. For GM Eric DeCosta, the math is brutal.
You can't pay a center $20 million when your quarterback is taking up nearly 25% of the total team cap. Yet, you cannot let the anchor of your line walk away when your franchise QB is already entering his late 20s with a history of pocket-pressure injuries.
The Defensive Dilemma
While the front office crunches numbers, Jesse Minter and recently hired DC Anthony Weaver are performing surgery on the defense. The 2025 Ravens defense was a shadow of its former self, ranking in the bottom third of the league in yards allowed.
Before April, Minter has to decide if the current personnel fits his scheme. Does he keep a veteran like Marlon Humphrey, whose $22M cap hit is a massive hurdle, or does he cut ties to find a more athletic, scheme-fit corner in free agency? Without a resolution on Lamar’s contract, the Ravens are paralyzed; they can’t be aggressive in the veteran market to find the "Batman" pass-rush presence they’ve lacked since the Terrell Suggs era.
A possible Lamar Jackson extension?
The answer to every Ravens problem in 2026 starts with a signature.
Unless Lamar Jackson agrees to a massive long-term extension or a creative restructure to drop that $74.5M figure, the Ravens will be forced into need-based drafting in April. Instead of taking the best player available -- the hallmark of the Ravens' scouting success -- they’ll be desperate for a Day 1 starting center and a discount edge rusher.
The Ravens have an intriguing new coaching staff, but even the best coaches can’t scheme their way out of a bankrupt roster. The front office has been working to get a new deal done with Lamar since April, but the clock is ticking. By mid-March, DeCosta must find a way to make the money work, or the 2026 "New Era" might be over before it truly begins.