The Baltimore Ravens enter another season as Super Bowl contenders, and the reason for that, just like the other years, pretty much boils down to 1 player — 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is the straw that stirs the drink in Baltimore. He’s also 1 of the most unique NFL players in history when it comes to the financial side of the game.
Not only did Jackson become the highest-paid player in NFL history once, with a 5-year, $260 million contract extension before the 2023 season, but he’ll almost certainly do it again at some point in the next calendar year with his next contract — a contract that could pay him close to $70 million per year in terms of average annual salary.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz called out the Ravens on his list of “all-in” Super Bowl contenders in 2026 over Jackson’s current contract — particularly how it’s backloaded to destroy the Ravens’ salary cap in 2027.
“According to OverTheCap, the Ravens have the least cap space for 2027, needing to cut $41.5 million to get under,” Schatz wrote on September 6. “The good news is that this can all be handled with an extension for quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose cap number for 2027 is an astonishing $84.3 million. But the Ravens have to actually get that deal done, and so far it just hasn’t happened. Jackson represents himself without an agent, and the two sides couldn’t reach a deal this offseason. Is it possible that Jackson — a two-time MVP — could actually leave Baltimore? Stranger things have happened, but that is certainly not what Baltimore would want.”
Ravens Have Concerns Over Jackson’s Durability
The Ravens were also Super Bowl contenders in 2025 – Super Bowl favorites, actually — but saw their final season with longtime head coach John Harbaugh come undone due to injuries and missed the playoffs for the 1st time since 2021.
The crux of why the Ravens were so average last season was Jackson either out or playing for almost the entire year. He’s now missed at least 4 games due to injuries in 3 of the past 5 seasons.
The esteem in which Jackson is held among his peers took a slight dip in ESPN’s annual position rankings, where he dropped 1 spot from No. 4 in 2025 to No. 5 in 2026.
“Like Joe Burrow, Jackson faces durability concerns, missing at least four games in three of the past five seasons,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 13. “He also frequently misses practice time, both in the offseason and in-season. But he’s been one of the game’s most consistent performers at the position and that should continue.”
Concerns Lamar Jackson May Have Already Peaked
In response to Pro Football Focus asking “Is this the Ravens year?” on X after giving them a “B+” grade in both free agency and the NFL draft, SB Nation NFL writer Jarrett Bailey had a sharp retort.
“Their QB has peaked, and their roster around him is worse,” Bailey wrote on his official X account. “No, it’s not their year.”
The 2-time NFL Most Valuable Player’s closely guarded image also took a hit as he came off, for the 1st time in his career, as the type of coddled, out-of-touch superstar fans love to hate.
That was mostly thanks to a column from The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston late in the season that called out Jackson for a myriad of behaviors that were a detriment to his team and his teammates.
“The breakdown of an NFL player’s body is natural, but Jackson could help himself,” Preston wrote in a column on December 24. “He doesn’t need to be up late at night playing video games or falling asleep in team meetings. He needs to train more around (the facility) instead of only attending mandatory minicamps, where he disappears after one day.”
Ravens Called Out Over ‘Astonishing’ Lamar Jackson Contract News