Ravens Receive Harsh Reality Check on Lamar Jackson Contract

The Baltimore Ravens again enter an NFL season among the Super Bowl favorites, and once more that status rests largely on two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson.

Jackson remains the engine of the Ravens’ offense and one of the most distinctive players in the league, both on the field and in contract talks.

He already set a high-water mark when he signed a five-year, $260 million extension before the 2023 season, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time.

Another record-setting deal now looms. Jackson’s next contract could approach $70 million in average annual value if negotiations are completed in the coming year.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz highlighted the Ravens among “all-in” Super Bowl contenders for 2026 and pointed directly at the structure of Jackson’s current deal.

“According to OverTheCap, the Ravens have the least cap space for 2027, needing to cut $41.5 million to get under,” Schatz wrote. “The good news is that this can all be handled with an extension for quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose cap number for 2027 is an astonishing $84.3 million. But the Ravens have to actually get that deal done, and so far it just hasn’t happened. Jackson represents himself without an agent, and the two sides couldn’t reach a deal this offseason. Is it possible that Jackson — a two-time MVP — could actually leave Baltimore? Stranger things have happened, but that is certainly not what Baltimore would want.”

The back-loaded nature of the existing contract leaves Baltimore with little breathing room on the 2027 salary cap unless a new agreement is reached.

Jackson handles his own negotiations rather than employing an agent, a rare approach among star quarterbacks and one that has so far produced no extension this offseason.

Last season offered a reminder of how quickly the Ravens’ outlook can change. They opened 2025 as Super Bowl favorites under longtime coach John Harbaugh but missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after a string of injuries.

Jackson’s availability sat at the center of those struggles. He has now missed at least four games because of injury in three of the past five seasons.

ESPN’s annual quarterback rankings reflected some of that concern. Jackson slipped one spot, from No. 4 in 2025 to No. 5 in 2026.

“Like Joe Burrow, Jackson faces durability concerns, missing at least four games in three of the past five seasons,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “He also frequently misses practice time, both in the offseason and in-season. But he’s been one of the game’s most consistent performers at the position and that should continue.”

Some observers go further and question whether Jackson has already reached his peak. After Pro Football Focus assigned the Ravens a B-plus grade for both free agency and the draft and asked whether this could be Baltimore’s year, SB Nation NFL writer Jarrett Bailey pushed back.

“Their QB has peaked, and their roster around him is worse,” Bailey wrote. “No, it’s not their year.”

Jackson’s public image also took an unusual hit late last season. A Baltimore Sun column by Mike Preston listed several habits the writer said hurt the team and Jackson’s standing with teammates.

“The breakdown of an NFL player’s body is natural, but Jackson could help himself,” Preston wrote. “He doesn’t need to be up late at night playing video games or falling asleep in team meetings. He needs to train more around (the facility) instead of only attending mandatory minicamps, where he disappears after one day.”

Those comments marked a shift for a player who had long been viewed as one of the league’s more guarded and popular stars.

The Ravens still view Jackson as their franchise quarterback and the clearest path to another deep playoff run. Getting a new contract done would ease the looming cap crunch and remove questions about his long-term future in Baltimore.

Until that happens, the combination of an enormous 2027 cap figure, recent injury history and stalled talks will remain part of the conversation around a team that otherwise looks built to contend.