Pretty soon, the Baltimore Ravens are going to have to open their checkbooks to just about every player on the roster. We're talking big numbers. Nnamdi Madubuike, Marlon Humphrey, and Roquan Smith already have their deals. They'll need to make room for Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum's extensions, along with Derrick Henry's.
Those will be massive contracts, for sure, but the biggest number of them all is starting to come into focus.
Lamar Jackson might’ve signed a five-year, $260 million deal just two offseasons ago, but that deal’s already looking dated. He’s slipped to ninth in average annual value (AAV), and with a cap hit north of $74 million on the way in 2026, everyone knows what’s coming next.
The Ravens have another monster extension on the way. It just so happens to be for the most important player the franchise has ever had.
Lamar Jackson’s next contract will be historic
There’s been some smoke. At the NFL owners meetings, John Harbaugh all but confirmed the Ravens are already laying the groundwork for a new deal. His quote? Straight to the point:
“The value is the top,” Harbaugh said. “When Lamar gets paid, he’s going to be the highest-paid player in football, just like he was last time.”
Now we have something concrete to go with it.
In a new breakdown from Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, the Ravens are projected to give Jackson the biggest contract in NFL history, with an AAV of $62.5 million. And they should do it soon. Per Kay:
“The Ravens should make Jackson the league’s highest-paid player whenever they sign him to a new extension. They should aim to get a record-setting deal in place relatively quickly, too, as the quarterback’s current contract comes with a whopping $74.65 million cap hit for the 2026 season.
While Jackson is worth almost any cost, Baltimore may struggle to field a competitive roster around the dual-threat QB without reducing his cap figure via an extension. Doing so would drop Jackson’s cap hit down to a much more manageable $40.56 million in 2026 and $40.52 million in 2027 before spiking back up to $78.89 million in 2028 (per OverTheCap.com).
With the Ravens considering Jackson a “partner” and “stakeholder” in the team, as general manager Eric DeCosta said at the combine last month, they should have no qualms about giving him the richest deal in NFL history.”
That's wicked expensive, but it's also a no-brainer. The Ravens don’t exist as Super Bowl contenders without Lamar. He’s the engine, the identity, and the reason this team is still in the championship conversation year in and year out. Letting his cap hit balloon while simultaneously not locking Jackson up long-term would be a major mistake.
There's also no logical football reality where players like Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, or Dak Prescott are making more than Lamar on a per-season basis. That's objectively wrong.
There’s no real suspense here. A deal’s going to get done. But if there was ever any wonder about just how much they'll have to shell out, consider this your "get ready for it" moment.