Updated Jan. 28, 2026, 2:55 p.m. ET

The Baltimore Ravens have a new head coach in Jesse Minter and a new offensive coordinator yet to be determined. Former head coach John Harbaugh has taken the same job with the New York Giants, while former offensive coordinator Todd Monken is now the head man of the Cleveland Browns. 

Typically, new coaching regimes mean new quarterbacks, and that’s why the trade rumor mill is now churning around Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The two-time NFL MVP still has two years remaining on his contract, and he is unquestionably the face of the franchise. 

Beyond the football club, Jackson holds significant importance for the city of Baltimore itself. Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley said it best.

“I can’t really put it into words,” Stanley said of Jackson’s impact, in an exclusive with R.org. “But it’s been an impact, not only on the team, but the whole organization. It’s been an organizational impact that he’s had, it’s been a city-wide impact.

“I think he’s been doing this on a consistent level and just been improving. It’s kind of immeasurable.”

If the Ravens were to move on from Jackson, they would obviously need to get a whole lot in return. And even then, it would still be shocking to see it actually happen.

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However, it’s not outside the realm of possibility, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed out.

“I don’t think it’s a given that Lamar Jackson is going to be back with the Ravens,” Florio said while appearing on Yahoo Sports Daily. “We’ve been talking about this, we’ve been writing about this … I think there’s still a chance that Lamar Jackson decides it’s time for a fresh start for him too, and he’s got a ton of power in this situation.

“He’s got two years left under contract, there’s a no-tag clause in his deal, so he walks away two years from now as a free agent if he wants to.”

Yes, it is indeed that time of year, known as “the silly season,” because the absence of football allows for an added emphasis on trade rumors. We only have one actual meaningful game left until next summer, so let the rumor mill churn.

That said, Florio brought up a couple of great points there, and while the chances of Jackson leaving are low, they’re not non-existent. And we already have a hypothetical “favorite” to land Jackson, in the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Last week, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler published an article in which an NFL executive predicted that the Raiders would trade for Jackson. From there, the Jackson to the Raiders rumor started to gather some steam.

Any potential deal would almost certainly include the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and that idea apparently doesn’t sit well with some Raiders fans. A quick Google search for “Lamar Jackson” shows that many Raiders fans are against the idea. 

You can quickly find Raiders-centric blogs and podcasts shooting down the notion of their favorite team trading for Lamar Jackson. It’s easy to see why, as Vegas has many issues, far beyond just the quarterback position. 

If they were more in “win now mode,” instead of “rebuilding mode,” then this deal would make much more sense for them. While it’s fun to speculate on this kind of stuff, Jackson to the Raiders seems illogical for all involved.