The Baltimore Ravens suddenly find themselves in an uncomfortable position. Of course, the most immediate issue for the organization is seeing Lamar Jackson suffer a right thumb injury on his first play back from a three-game absence due to a high ankle sprain. Now, the two-time NFL MVP needs surgery and could be sidelined for the rest of the season.
From a big-picture view, however, the concern is more existential: How do they handle their future with Jackson? One of the storylines that has hovered over the franchise is that Jackson is due for a contract extension. His current deal — a five-year, $260 million contract that, at the time, made him the highest-paid player in the league — runs out after the 2027 campaign.
Jackson also has no guaranteed salary remaining on his current contract beyond this season. Since signing that deal, Jackson has earned another MVP award (2023), was runner-up for MVP in 2024, and is 34-17 over his 51 regular season starts with a 110.1 passer rating. He's also 2-2 in the playoffs over this stretch with a 105.8 passer rating.
More recently, he looked great in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's system, as his yards per attempt (10.1), air yards per attempt (10.9) and 70.8% completion rate in four games played entering Week 8 were all on pace to be career highs. Those will be just some of the figures he and his camp will likely point to as they once again look to reset the market at the position, as every player of his caliber aims to do when they sit down at the negotiating table. That said, the Ravens may have some trepidation this time around, particularly as these injuries start to pile up.
Before this thumb injury that could knock him out of Baltimore's final nine games of the year, he had already been sidelined for three games with an ankle injury. Last year, Jackson missed a total of four games due to back and hamstring injuries. Possibly resetting the market once again with a quarterback who is about to turn 30 in January and is starting to have injuries pile up is a risky endeavor for the franchise, which could result in another murky negotiation.
If you remember last time around, it wasn't smooth sailing between Jackson and the Ravens leading up to their most recent agreement. In fact, Jackson requested a trade before ultimately inking his deal to remain in Baltimore, so there is some history of things getting spicy between these two sides. With this latest right thumb injury adding to his growing list of ailments on his résumé, it throws a rather seismic wrench into these future talks.
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