Not everyone has confidence in what the Baltimore Ravens are about to put on the field in 2026 — and 1 NFL insider thinks the franchise’s best days with quarterback Lamar Jackson are already behind them.
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.”
Jackson’s stock has never been lower, coming off a season in which the Ravens entered 2025 as Super Bowl favorites but went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the 1st time since 2021.
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 setting his team — and his career — back.
“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 Castle instead of only attending mandatory minicamps, where he disappears after one day.”
Lamar Jackson Threw Head Coach Under Bus
Jackson not only seemed out of touch with the impact he was having on his own team in Preston’s column, but also in real life.
That moment came when he refused to voice any support whatsoever for head coach John Harbaugh when he wound up on the hot seat late in the season.
After a crushing 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Week 18 regular-season finale that cost the Ravens a spot in the playoffs, Jackson refused to answer whether he wanted to play for Harbaugh anymore.
Harbaugh, when posed with the same question, replied with an emphatic “Yes” and expressed his love for Jackson and his teammates.
“You asking me about next year, Jamison, and I’m still caught up in what just happened tonight,” Jackson said in a video posted to Hensley’s X account. “I can’t answer that right now. I’m still stunned. I’m still trying to process what just happened.”
Harbaugh was fired shortly after the season and replaced with former Ravens assistant and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Glimmer of Hope for Ravens in Season Finale
Jackson seemed like a different player for most of 2025 as he struggled to make plays behind a porous offensive line — injuries cost him 4 games, and most of the magic that made him 1 of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks of all time seemed to be gone.
There was 1 glimmer of hope. In the loss to the Steelers in the finale, Jackson’s brilliance was on full display as he went 11-of-18 passing for 238 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Insider: Ravens Have Already ‘Peaked’ With QB Lamar Jackson