Lamar Jackson's trade talks picked up in January this year after Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti wanted to renegotiate the quarterback's deal. Amid the swirling trade chatter, three months later, the Ravens quarterback dropped a cryptic message that quietly hinted at his confidence in the face of uncertainty.

“Instead of trying to bring me down, ask GOD to bring you up. JESUSCHRISTKINGOFKINGS”, the two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson tweeted on April 11.

Back in March, general manager Eric DeCosta confirmed that his contract had been restructured, but not extended.

“[We] were able to free up, I think, just under $40 million this year, added a void year to 2030, I believe,” DeCosta said. “We're certainly hopeful that we'll get an extension done. I think it's important to both parties. But we remain to see what's going to take place in the future.”

The restructure led Jackson’s 2026 salary cap hit to drop from $74.5 million to $34.54 million. However, his 2027 figure rises to $84.49 million, which would rank as the third-highest in the league.

That again happens to be a reason for concern. According to analyst Colin Cowherd's observation, most quarterbacks with the highest cap struggled in the playoffs last season. And we have already seen Jackson putting up an average performance in post season, holding a 3-5 record in the playoffs in his career.

“So seven of the top eight quarterback cap hits missed the playoffs last season,” Cowherd said. “I couldn’t pay Lamar Jackson $84 million. I don’t know.”

Now, what happens if the Ravens don’t extend his contract? That heavy cap hit could force a decision on Jackson. Either a trade might be dictated by his terms, or there is a possibility of carrying dead cap if he reaches free agency.

Back in 2023, Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million extension that included both a no-franchise-tag clause and a no-trade clause. While it gave him control over his future, things took a left turn.

Why the Baltimore Ravens Are Hesitant to Offer Lamar Jackson an Extension?

For the Ravens, tying down their quarterback for the future was a priority.

“We do have a nice little nest egg; it’s not as much as we’d like. A deal with Lamar would give us the ability to be more active to re-sign, probably more players on the team, and potentially go after a couple big-ticket items,” said DeCosta in January.

The 32nd overall pick in the first round, Jackson went on to become the youngest quarterback in NFL history to start a Pro Bowl game in 2019.

He is tied with Aaron Rodgers for the highest career passer rating in NFL history (102.2) and holds the record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback, with 6,522.

But his production dipped last season, appearing in just 13 games, finishing with a 6–7 record. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 that sidelined him for three games and continued to miss practice time midseason.

It was followed by a back contusion in Week 16. However, his presence at voluntary workouts could earn him $750,000, tied to attending 80% of offseason workouts.

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Written by

Monika Khatai

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar