Ravens Discuss Upcoming Lamar Jackson Contract Talks

Lamar Jackson missed out on the playoffs for just the second time in his career after the Baltimore Ravens crashed out of the Super Bowl race after an 8-9 season. The quarterback struggled with injuries throughout the season, missing four games.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta addressed the two-time NFL MVP’s future with the franchise in his end-of-season presser on January 13. He was asked about a timeline and the benefits of getting the extension done sooner rather than later.

"Well, it would certainly give us more flexibility, cap-wise, roster building," DeCosta said. "I think that we've done a good job. We carried over this year almost $10 million – just over $10 million in money, probably double what we have in the last however many years, I think. 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 more players on the team, and potentially go after a couple of big-ticket items. We haven't traditionally done that. You know, we've been more reserved when it comes to free agency. We like the amount of draft picks we have this year. We do have money to go out and re-sign guys, free agents that we have right now. Some good players, certainly. But having more money would be helpful for sure."

GM Eric DeCosta on Lamar's contract: pic.twitter.com/JVn9b2RqIp
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 13, 2026

Jackson finished the season with 192 completions of 302 passes (63.6% completion rate) for just 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He was sacked 36 times, the third-highest total in his career.

Ravens Owner on Lamar Jackson’s Contract Extension

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti also made his stance clear on Lamar Jackson’s contract. He revealed that he wants to have the four-time Pro Bowler as his quarterback. But there are some things they need to work out with the superstar.

"I want him to be my quarterback. I told him his extension was... we had some mechanism that kept it in place last year or three years ago that we don't necessarily have now. So, there’s only one way: if he doesn’t want to do an extension, then we throw those 74 million out in void years. And Lamar's coming back at the same cap number he was last year.

“You can play with that money all you want. That is not what we want. We want another window, and Lamar knows that. And I think that he's amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal he did…. And the urgency of that matters to me because we've got free agents, and I don't wanna go into free agency without having that over our head. I made it very clear to Lamar, and he was very appreciative of my stance and willing to work."

"I want Lamar Jackson to be my quarterback." pic.twitter.com/f1RtbDoF1x
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 13, 2026

Lamar Jackson's astronomical $74.5 million salary cap hit in 2026 can lead to a massive competitive disadvantage. It ranks behind only two other quarterbacks in the entire league: Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.

The original deal Jackson signed in May 2023 is a five-year, $260 million contract worth $52 million per year. It includes a no-trade clause and protections preventing the Ravens from using a franchise or transition tag when the deal expires after 2027.

A complete restructure could reduce his 2026 cap hit to approximately $37 million by converting $49.95 million of his compensation into a signing bonus prorated over his remaining contract years. Alternatively, the Ravens could negotiate a new long-term extension that would spread out his compensation more evenly across additional years.

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