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The Baltimore Ravens need to conduct some more business before ensuring Lamar Jackson, others could suit up for the 2028 Olympics as Ravens
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The NFL has set the stage for American Football to become an even bigger global phenomena than it already is. This afternoon, by a vote of 32-0, NFL owners passed a resolution that will permit NFL players to participate in the flag football competition at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

It’s a huge opportunity for the global outreach of the NFL, but one that the Baltimore Ravens will need help with if they’re going to see any of their current stars take the field to represent the United States.

You see, Baltimore doesn’t have any of their current star players under contract for the 2028 season at this point in time. Lamar Jackson? His current contract expires after the 2027 season. There are voided years on his current contract that will keep cap commitments on the books, but Jackson himself is not currently under contract to play in Baltimore for the 2028 season. Yet.

The same goes for Derrick Henry’s new two-year extension signed earlier this week, although a battering ram like Henry may lose some of his appeal when you’re pulling flags off of his frame instead of trying to wrangle him to the ground. Zay Flowers has a fifth-year option for the 2027 season — but is not under contract for that 2028 season as things currently stand.

As a matter of fact, the only players currently under contract with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2028 season are members of the team’s rookie draft class of 2025. Perhaps Malaki Starks would be a desired addition to the flag football team, given his ball skills and defensive ball-hawking ability? That option only works if you ignore the fact that Starks has yet to sign his rookie contract with the Ravens, as well.

So while Baltimore has a number of stars that would be electric additions to a United States national flag football team, the Ravens are going to have to conduct a little bit more business before ensuring that they have current talent under contract that will run through the 2028 season. Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers are fairly safe assumptions as candidates who will get new contracts from the current nucleus of talent in Baltimore.

But deals are never done until the pen is put to paper. And right now, the only Ravens that could be repping the United States in the 2028 Olympics are members of the 2025 NFL Draft class. 

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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