Ravens GM Eric DeCosta Expresses Optimism For Lamar Jackson Contract Without Offering Any Real Reasons Why

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta expressed optimism he will eventually extend two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson but offered scant reasoning to back it up as the team literally runs out to do so.

The deal should have been priority one for the organization when Bills quarterback Josh Allen quickly-and-easily signed a massive new deal early in the 2025 offseason. And DeCosta continues to miss even his own team’s goalposts to secure the future Hall of Famer beyond this season.

Jackson, who serves as his own agent, is highly unlikely to negotiate at all during the season and he has expressed repeatedly how “cool” he is with his current contract. Owner Steve Bisciotti expressed his strong desire to have a new deal executed with Jackson before the start of the league year in March and now the franchise is on the cusp of Jackson possibly playing out a lame-duck season.

DeCosta reiterated his optimism is nothing new; he’s expressed similar sentiments in the past, without making any headway to this point. DeCosta also addressed the team’s sudden kicking competition, the return of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike from neck surgery, possible league discipline for receiver Rashod Bateman, and why he leaned heavily into certain positions in construction of the 53-man roster.

Still No Deal For Jackson

DeCosta was visibly relieved the last time he got a deal done with Jackson after years of agony between the sides, Jackson played out a franchise tag, issued a trade demand, ending up a central figure in a collusion case and eventually negotiated an expert deal that includes an $85M cap hit in 2027, with a no-trade and no-tag clause giving him extreme leverage, and the entire industry realizes as such.

That essentially makes him a free agent next year able to call his shot without an extension, and it hasn’t been hard to read into Jackson's scant comments about the contract as well as DeCosta’s tone on Wednesday, that signing a new deal now is something Jackson really might not want to even engage about.

If that is DeCosta’s reality, it’s entirely on him for letting it reach this point. Is this a potential distraction hanging over the team week-to-week?

“We’ve dealt with that distraction before,” DeCosta said. “There’s only so much we can do.”

DeCosta offered that “I feel good,” about an extension, but then also snapped at one point: “We would love to get a deal done as soon as possible - Any other questions?” He again referred to it as “a different type of negotiation,” alluding to the lack of an agent (Jackson is hardly alone in that trend).

When asked about the role of guarantees in the negotiation, DeCosta said: “We look at all of these (QB) deals, and try to deals with our players that are market or market-plus … We try to compensate our best players as well as we can.”

DeCosta ceded even more leverage to Jackson, 29, by doing a max restructure of his deal, and the QB seems perfectly inclined to pocket that $50M for this season and call his shot in 2027.

Kicker Competition

Head coach Jesse Minter leaned into the idea that incumbent kicker Tyler Loop is going to be the kicker Week 1, but his boss didn’t sound as convinced. Veteran Jake Moody was brought in to be a real option and he doesn’t have to be on the practice squad for long.

“We’ll see how it works out,” DeCosta said. “In the end, it’s a performance business.”

Bateman’s Status In Limbo

DeCosta has resisted opportunities to move on from Bateman in the past and was somewhat pointed in his comments about the mercurial receiver Wednesday who is facing three charges of family violence from an incident in June involving his three-month old child and the child’s mother. DeCosta has no timetable as to when the NFL will conclude its investigation into the matter.

“It’s obviously something we’re very disappointed that we have to deal with,” De Costa said, referring to it is “a little bit of a distraction.” The NFL and the authorities are conducting their review, and the Ravens have “no indication how long that’s going to take,” the GM said.

Madubuike Trending In Right Direction

Madubuike continues to make strides in his return from neck surgery in the spring. The return to play is obviously different with an injury of this magnitude but DeCosta, and others, continue to believe he in track to play sooner rather than later though not definitely in Week 1.

“It’s a little longer of a ramp-up than you’d see in some instances,” DeCosta said, “but we feel like he’s right on track. Today was a good day.”

DeCosta added “I’m as encouraged now as I’ve ever been.”

He did concede that part of the reason the team kept six defensive linemen was due to the age and injury history of some at that position group.

Humphrey Bounce Back?

Humphrey is the 10th highest-paid corner in the NFL coming off a terrible 2025, and the Ravens have six corners on their roster, which is a big number. DeCosta expressed no reservations about paying the veteran $19.25M in the final year of his deal and believes he’ll get his money worth. Execs around the NFL, mind you, are far from convinced.

“I think he’s going to have a great year,” DeCosta said. “He didn’t have a great year last year. I feel confident he’s going to rebound.”

Cinderella Man

Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano making the 53-man roster was a total shocker to everyone involved and it was clear the Ravens were heavily debating putting him on the practice squad. Instead, the UCONN (via Maine) product forced their hand and DeCosta said other teams helped make the decision for him.

DeCosta said other teams had interest in acquiring Fagnano via trade, which helped cement their decision to put him on the active roster.

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