Maxx Crosby trade leaves Ravens with two options for Lamar Jackson's contract

The Baltimore Ravens completed one of the largest transactions in franchise history.

For the first time in their existence, they traded a first-round pick for a player. In fact, they traded two to get Maxx Crosby.

That may have made star QB Lamar Jackson quite happy, but it also left them with an obvious problem they need to address in the next few hours.

Lamar Jackson's contract is slated to come with a massive $74.5M cap hit and, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained, they will either have to give him a new deal or automatically restructure his current contract, even if Jackson doesn't approve the move.

Ravens running out of time with Lamar Jackson's contract extension

"Owner Steve Bisciotti said in January that the Ravens want to make it happen before the start of the league year. That’s when Jackson’s cap number skyrockets from $43.5 million to $74.5 million," Florio wrote.

The Ravens hold the right to unilaterally restructure the deal. Players don't usually appreciate that, though, so it would be better for both parties to sort things out first.

"Bisciotti added that, absent a new contract, the Ravens will simply exercise their prerogative to kick the cap can via a simple restructuring. (Of course, that would only drive up the current $74.5 million in 2027, the final year of his current contract.)," Florio added.

Jackson doesn't have an agent, which has historically made negotiations with him difficult. 

The former MVP reportedly wants a raise after his staggering $52.5M yearly salary fell behind.

Players like Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy and Justin Herbert are making more money per year than him, and it's become commonplace for a star quarterback to want to be the highest-paid guy in the league every time he has a chance to do so.

Barring a new deal, Jackson will have two years and up to $104M left in his contract, and he could become a free agent as early as 2028 if the Ravens don't convince him to put pen to paper.