Are Ravens failing to give Lamar Jackson what he wants for an extension?

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta raised some eyebrows when he said last week that he was "certainly hopeful" the club would sign quarterback Lamar Jackson to a contract extension at some point this offseason. 

The Ravens recently restructured Jackson's current deal to create about $40M in salary-cap space. This past weekend, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk addressed why DeCosta went down that route regarding Jackson's agreement. 

Does Lamar Jackson want more than Ravens are willing to pay?

"Jackson’s current deal has an annual average of $52.5M," Florio wrote about the five-year contract reportedly worth up to $260M (with $185M guaranteed) that Jackson inked in 2023. "At the time he signed it, he was the highest-paid player in the league. He has since won another MVP award, finished second for what would have been his third MVP and has slipped all the way to No. 10 on the quarterback APY list. The top of the market...belongs to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, at $60M. As we hear it, Jackson hopes to get to $62M per year."

Per the terms of his deal, the Ravens cannot retain Jackson's rights after the 2027 season via the franchise tag. Meanwhile, multiple members of the new Ravens coaching staff made it known earlier this winter that they would like Jackson and other players to participate in voluntary offseason workouts beginning in April. 

History shows Jackson may skip at least some of those sessions if he's displeased with how extension talks have gone since Baltimore's season came to an end. As was the case back in 2023, Jackson is not using a union-certified agent while engaging in negotiations with the Ravens. 

Is Deshaun Watson impacting what Lamar Jackson wants from Ravens?

"A three-year, $186M extension would result in a five-year, $290M deal," Florio added about Jackson's situation. "The new-money average would be $62M. The total average from signing would be $58M. The deeper issue would be the guarantees. How many years would be fully guaranteed at signing? Two? Three? At one point, Jackson wanted a Deshaun Watson-style fully guaranteed contract the last time around. Does he want one this time around?"

As of the middle of March 2026, there's no indication that the Ravens are even considering moving on from Jackson a couple of years down the road. That said, whispers about his uncertain future may grow louder if he enters Baltimore's summer break without having a signed extension in hand.