The Baltimore Ravens had a two-pronged plan for the perfect offseason, a plan involving franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson and All-Pro pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, but the team only got one part of the strategy right.
Even though they were happy to call off the trade for Crosby, the Ravens had already “renegotiated Lamar Jackson’s contract YESTERDAY to create more cap room, multiple sources tell me,” according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports.
She concluded the Ravens got a head-start on resolving Jackson’s future because “They were clearly readying to onboard Maxx Crosby – until the medical assessment made the price of two first round picks too risky.”
A follow-up report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed “Sources say the restructure with Jackson creates about $40 million in salary cap space for the 2026 season. It’s similar to what Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have done this offseason for their teams.”
If Jackson did his part to make room for Crosby, the star QB1 is unlikely to be too happy about the Ravens cancelling the deal to send two first-round draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end.
Perhaps the Ravens pivoting to an All-Pro replacement for Crosby will ease any ill feelings. Even if plenty around the league are expected to question the motives behind the Ravens changing their minds about Crosby.
What can’t be lost in all of this is a positive update about the Ravens making progress on agreeing a new deal with Jackson. It was the most important item on the to-do list of under-fire general manager Eric DeCosta.
Ravens Got Things Right With Lamar Jackson
Many around the league may be taking a dim view of how the Ravens handled things with Crosby, but it’s hard to question the developments regarding Jackson. He’s still set to be a free agent in 2028, but the two-time NFL MVP is now on a more manageable deal, one that will allow DeCosta flexibility during the rest of free agency and through this year’s draft.
Having more room to manoeuvre will be key when the Ravens have already lost so many key players since this veteran market opened. They have seen one of Jackson’s favorite targets reunite with former head coach John Harbaugh, along with an All-Pro member of the backfield.
Getting Jackson some new weapons will likely prompt DeCosta to repeat history in the draft, but adding elite talent to the defensive front seven was always his primary focus in free agency. Like most around the league, Jackson would’ve believed the Ravens had done just that when they engineered a trade for Crosby, but subsequent events proved otherwise.
Fortunately, DeCosta still managed to add the closer the Ravens need defensively. The player who keeps the pressure on Jackson to finally deliver a championship.
Maxx Crosby Change Doesn’t Alter Things for Ravens’ QB1
Jackson was immediately deemed to have no more excuses for not winning the game’s biggest prize after it appeared the Ravens added bluechip edge defender Crosby. Things changed, but the expectation on Jackson will likely remain intact after DeCosta moved quickly replaced Crosby with former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
The latter has been the bane of Jackson in the AFC North, so the Ravens are fully aware of how Hendrickson can make life a misery for opposing quarterbacks. His ability to take over games from the edge can help Jackson and Co. overcome their worrying knack for blowing leads in the fourth quarter.
If that happens, the Ravens will soon forget about their confusing and embarrassing u-turn on Crosby. Instead, the focus will shift to how well those in the front office switched gears to Hendrickson and also managed to strike a key deal with the most important player on the roster.
Ravens Made $40M Lamar Jackson Move Before Maxx Crosby Change: Report