Ravens may have wanted to draft this QB prospect amid Lamar Jackson uncertainty

The fact that the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson have yet to agree to a contract extension this offseason continues to raise eyebrows among members of the NFL community. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, Ravens and league insider Jason La Canfora of Sports Illustrated suggested that Baltimore strongly considered selecting an interesting signal-caller during the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Did an AFC North rival take the Ravens' desired quarterback during the draft?

A general manager and "a personnel executive from a team that selected a quarterback this spring" told La Canfora that they had heard Arkansas signal-caller Taylen Green "was a prospect the Ravens were high on." The Cleveland Browns ultimately took a flier on Green in the sixth round of the player-selection process, but he likely has little chance of starting for Cleveland over veteran Deshaun Watson or 2025 fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders anytime soon. 

Of course, Todd Monken previously served as the Ravens' offensive coordinator before he was hired to be the Browns' new head coach this past winter. Meanwhile, the Ravens used none of their 11 draft selections to acquire a quarterback before they signed undrafted signal-caller Diego Pavia.

As for Jackson's future, he signed a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $260M with $185M guaranteed back in 2023. A recent update indicated he may be looking to land a fully guaranteed contract that carries a higher annual average value than the four-year agreement reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed that Dak Prescott received from the Dallas Cowboys in September 2024. Per the terms of Jackson's deal, his rights for after 2027 cannot be retained via the franchise tag. 

There is an "encouraging sign" regarding Lamar Jackson's relationship with the Ravens

Also on Wednesday, ESPN's Jamison Hensley noted that an "encouraging sign" regarding the ongoing situation involving Jackson and the Ravens is the two-time MVP's "attendance at the team's offseason workout program and first minicamp, both of which are voluntary." 

Jackson has a history of skipping voluntary portions of the offseason program, so the fact that he hasn't been doing so this time around could lead one to believe he is happy with what he has heard during offseason chats with general manager Eric DeCosta.