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A recent report revealed that the Baltimore Ravens were "ready to explore extending" star quarterback Lamar Jackson "well into his 30s." That could have led one to believe that Jackson and the Ravens were coming close to agreeing to a contract extension.
For a piece published on Wednesday, Ravens insider Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic hinted that little has changed regarding the Jackson situation amid the NFL's summer break.
"Little is known about" Lamar Jackson, Ravens contract talks
"Owner Steve Bisciotti was open earlier this offseason about wanting to extend Jackson as soon as possible," Zrebiec wrote. "More than six months later, there is still no deal and no indication that one is close, although the Ravens and Jackson have succeeded in keeping any news about the negotiations — or lack thereof — out of the media. Thus, little is known about whether [general manager Eric DeCosta] and Jackson are negotiating or have any plans to address his contract before the season."
Jackson turns 30 years old this coming January, and the Ravens cannot retain his rights for 2028 via the franchise tag or trade him without his consent per the terms of his existing deal. Some have speculated that he may want to at least match what the Kansas City Chiefs gave Patrick Mahomes when they reworked Mahomes' contract to keep him locked down through the 2033 season and handed him a new average salary of $64M. It's unknown how many years or how much guaranteed money Jackson would want attached to his extension.
Why Ravens should want to extend Lamar Jackson before 2027
"Jackson, whose contract was restructured in March, is signed through 2027," Zrebiec added. "His cap hit next year is a whopping $84.3M. Each passing month without a new deal will only increase the speculation about Jackson’s future in Baltimore, so a preseason extension would lift a lot of angst for the organization."
This past spring, Jackson insisted that he "absolutely" wants to stay with what's been his only team since he entered the NFL via the 2018 draft. That said, he may have millions of reasons to want to wait until next year to sign an extension.
Veteran Ravens players are due to report to training camp on July 28. Unless Baltimore announces a Jackson extension by that date, he soon will once again be asked if he truly wants to remain with the Ravens beyond the 2026 season.
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