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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Entering the NFL offseason, the Baltimore Ravens are going to be a team to monitor very closely.
After parting ways with longtime head coach John Harbaugh, it is clear that ownership wants to see the team take the next step. Over the last few years, the Ravens have been viewed as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league, but they have been unable to live up to the hype.
This season, Baltimore didn’t even make the playoffs. Harbaugh’s future was one of the main talking points late in the season, but star quarterback Lamar Jackson’s future was also something worth monitoring.
With that being said, Jackson’s contract status with the Ravens could be something to watch closely as the offseason gets underway.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens Situation Among Key NFL Storylines
Yardbarker’s Eric Smithling took a look at the top 10 hottest NFL contract situations to watch this offseason. Jackson and Baltimore was one of the situations on that list.
“Jackson has an astronomical $74.5M 2026 cap hit, so the Ravens should prioritize an extension to lower that amount,” Smithling wrote. “Baltimore can reduce his 2026 cap hit by converting his base salary into a signing bonus prorated through the length of an extension, helping the team build a competitive roster around its star.”
At the end of the day, the Ravens seemed to make a choice about Jackson’s future following their decision to part ways with Harbaugh. They seem to be going all-in on the star quarterback.
Harbaugh and Jackson were unable to get the job done together. Many felt that Baltimore would either keep Harbaugh and look into moving Jackson or vice versa. Jackson remains the face of the franchise heading into the offseason.
Ravens Have Had Reasons for Concern About Lamar Jackson
Throughout his NFL career, Jackson has had some consistency issues. Especially in the playoffs, Jackson has been unable to play up to his expected standards.
During the 2025 NFL season with the Ravens, Jackson played in 13 regular season games. He dealt with injury issues throughout a good portion of the year.
When all was said and done, he completed 63.6 percent of his pass attempts for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while also running for 349 yards and two scores. Those numbers were well down from his 2024 production.
Back in 2024, Jackson threw for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions and also completed 66.7 percent of his passes. He ran for 915 yards and four scores that season as well.
Hopefully, the 2026 season sees the 29-year-old superstar quarterback get back on track. That needs to start with staying healthy. A contract change could be made this offseason by Baltimore to open up some cap space, but it sounds like Jackson is with the Ravens for the foreseeable future.
If the two sides can work out a deal to open up cap space, that could shake up Baltimore’s offseason plans and allow the front office to get more aggressive.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
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