The Baltimore Ravens plan to revisit extension talks with Lamar Jackson in the offseason, and those negotiations could ultimately be very fruitful for the star quarterback.
According to NFL on Prime’s James Palmer, “For the last two years the Ravens have been trying to get a long-term contract done with Jackson, and they keep pushing money down the road. Which is why we’re at $84 million in terms of a cap hit in 2027. They’d like this offseason—because they won’t negotiate during the [NFL season] with one another—to get a long-term contract done, and I’m told the Ravens are willing to have Jackson be the highest-paid player in NFL history. Now Jackson has a no-trade clause, he has a no-franchise-tag clause, and if he would like he could be a full-blown free agent after the 2027 season at the age of 31.”
Jackson, 29, injured his thumb on the first play of Sunday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bill after he had missed the previous three games with a high left ankle sprain. The Ravens placed him on injured reserve this week, meaning he will miss a minimum of four games (and potentially more).
Whether Jackson returns may ultimately come down to whether the Ravens have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. That’s very much in question after his backup, Tyler Huntley, was also placed on injured reserve and reportedly suffered a season-ending turf toe injury.
The Ravens started undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano and reportedly have a trade in place with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire veteran Jacoby Brissett. Baltimore came into Thursday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars holding a 4-4 record.
While injuries have become a persistent storyline for Jackson during his career, when healthy he’s one of the most dynamic players in the sport, as evidenced by his two MVP awards, three first-team All-Pro selections and four Pro Bowl bids. If the Ravens indeed make him the highest-paid player in the history of the sport, nobody will bat an eye.
That distinction currently belongs to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his eight-year, $504.7 million renegotiated deal. Unless Jackson desperately wants to become a free agent, it would be hard to turn down that sort of money, though how the deal is structured and how much guaranteed money it includes will certainly impact negotiations.