Ravens GM sheds light on status of a possible Lamar Jackson extension

Hoping to avoid a repeat of the drama that surrounded Jackson's previous contract negotiations, the Ravens are expected to try to work out a new deal with the two-time NFL MVP this offseason. 

Jackson is currently in the middle of a five-year, $260M deal he signed in May of 2023. At things stand right now, Jackson will count $74.5M against the cap in 2026 and 2027, making it already difficult for the Ravens to find cap space to improve the team. 

Baltimore Ravens need to have flexibility to build around Lamar Jackson 

Baltimore has about $22M in cap space available, placing it at 15th in the NFL via Spotrac, though Jackson's tight end, Isaiah Likely, is a free agent. 

While Jackson will surely want to set a new standard as the highest-paid quarterback in football, it's also imperative the Ravens have room to fill out the roster and even try to retain Likely, a player Jackson has made clear he wants the team to keep around.

And with a new extension on the horizon, the pressure is mounting on Jackson to get the Ravens over the hump. Baltimore firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh, who has since taken over with the Giants, cast Jackson in the spotlight even more.

Awarding Lamar Jackson another big contract will come with some risk

At 29, there's reason to wonder how many more elite seasons Jackson has left in the tank. Jackson is coming off a 2025 season that saw an injury cost him time on the field. 

He threw for 2,549 yards, ran for 349, completed 63.6% of his passes and scored 23 touchdowns (21 passing, two rushing) with 14 turnovers (seven interceptions, seven fumbles). But the Ravens only went 6-7 with Jackson under center, as he missed four games. 

Prior to 2025, Jackson started all 17 games in 2024 and 16 in 2023. This was after he endured multiple injury plagued years, playing in just 12 games in each of the 2022 and 2021 seasons and 15 in each of the two years before. 

In addition to being a two-time league MVP, Jackson is a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time First Team All-Pro. However, his legacy will be judged on what he's able to accomplish in the postseason moving forward. To this point, he's only 3-5 with seven interceptions and seven fumbles in eight career postseason games.