Ravens insider shares the 'one solution' for latest Lamar Jackson contract saga

An April report suggested that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will only sign an extension with the club if the deal carries more guaranteed money than what was attached to the fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract that Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns signed back in March 2022. 

For a FanSided piece published on Monday, NFL and Ravens insider Jason La Canfora hinted that Baltimore will need to let Jackson reset the market in a big way if the club hopes to lock him down via a multiyear deal this offseason. 

"One solution" for Lamar Jackson's contract saga revealed

"There seems to be but one solution here," La Canfora wrote about the latest contract saga involving the Ravens and Jackson. "A five-year, fully guaranteed mega-deal that surpasses Dak Prescott’s $60M per year by some significant margin."

The Dallas Cowboys signed Prescott to his extension in September 2024. Meanwhile, Jackson inked a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed in the spring of 2023. 

La Canfora noted that contract negotiators, general managers and agents have told him that "Jackson has the Ravens check-mated" due to the fact that Baltimore cannot retain his rights after the 2027 season via the franchise tag, nor can the club trade him without his consent. Back in March, it was learned that the Ravens restructured Jackson's contract to create about $40M in salary-cap space. 

How many years does Lamar Jackson want on his next contract? 

"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," La Canfora added. "That’s not changing now." 

La Canfora also said that he expects the Ravens and Jackson will get something "done" before the 2026 season gets underway. However, it remains to be seen what Jackson will and won't say publicly if he enters September without having a signed extension in hand. 

"You either sign him before the season or there’s a good chance he’s not there in 2027," one general manager who spoke with La Canfora warned the Ravens about Jackson's future. 

Presumably, the Ravens will want to hold onto the two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player who will turn just 30 years old in January of next year. That said, it sounds like the two sides may not be all that close to coming to an agreement this spring.