With coaching staff set, all eyes on Lamar Jackson’s contract as Ravens move into bulk of offseason

The Ravens have officially completed hiring the staff under new head coach Jesse Minter. 

That means the more conventional parts of the offseason are underway with the scouting combine in Indianapolis beginning next week and the start of free agency looming in less than a month. 

While there will be the typical discussion of pending free agents and draft prospects, all eyes are on Lamar Jackson’s contract after general manager Eric DeCosta spent the first month of the offseason searching for John Harbaugh’s replacement and then helping Minter settle in and find his assistants. It’s not exactly a secret that Jackson carries a $74.5 million salary cap number for each of the final two seasons of the five-year, $260 million deal he signed three years ago. 

Something will have to give, and we’ve known this was coming from the time that deal was struck hours before the start of the 2023 draft. 

The good news is the sides aren’t starting from scratch, and it should be easier to work out an extension from a preexisting structure, something to which owner Steve Bisciotti alluded last month. Most would assume any deal would start with making Jackson the NFL’s highest-paid player in terms of average annual value, a title currently held by Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott at $60 million per season.

However, if we learned anything from the previous saga that played out over multiple offseasons, the contract remains an issue until it’s not anymore, especially when Jackson does the negotiating himself in lieu of a certified agent. 

We know Jackson had communication and input as the organization hired Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, but DeCosta was vague in describing the degree of involvement of the two-time MVP quarterback and other select veterans in the head coach interview process. And while Minter knew Jackson from his first stint in Baltimore, their previous relationship wasn’t considered anything remarkable, which is about what you’d expect between a starting quarterback and a lower-level assistant coaching on the opposite side of the football. 

Minter acknowledged late last month that building a deeper relationship will take time.

“We’ve been working towards that already. We’ve had wonderful conversations. I look forward to many, many more,” Minter said. “But with Lamar, I just look forward to connecting with him, helping him become the best version of himself, creating a team identity that allows him to thrive, which he’s already proven to be … one of the best players in the National Football League, and put a team around him that allows him to reach that ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore.” 

That’s all the more reason to find a contract resolution that makes both sides happy and paves the way for Jackson to be present for all — or at least most — of the voluntary offseason program. With a brand new coaching staff and new offensive system to learn, Jackson’s spring attendance will be scrutinized even more than it was the last few springs when he exercised his right to stay away more frequently than most starting quarterbacks do around the league. 

There’s also the matter of building a better roster around the 29-year-old with DeCosta admitting the cap space created by an extension would allow him to be “more active” and “potentially go after a couple of big-ticket items” in free agency next month. While making clear that he wants Jackson to be his quarterback for years to come, Bisciotti cited the alternative to a new deal rather matter-of-factly. 

“If he doesn’t want to do an extension, then we throw those 74 million out into void years and Lamar’s coming back at the same cap number he was last year,” said Bisciotti, referencing Jackson’s $43.5 million number for 2025. “You can play with that [cap dollars] all you want. That’s not what we want. We want another window, and Lamar knows that. I think that he’s amenable to doing something that mirrors the last deal he did, although the annual number will be a little higher. 

“But I’m hoping that it’s plug a new number into the same contract he signed last time and move on.” 

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Of course, kicking the can down the road with a contract restructure would only create new questions — and an even bigger cap number for 2027. 

What if Jackson were to have another injury-plagued campaign on the heels of missing at least four games for the third time in the last five seasons? 

If the Ravens have another disappointing season or his rapport with the new coaching staff isn’t as strong as everyone hopes, would Jackson be inclined to do an extension only a year away from becoming a free agent, especially knowing the organization wouldn’t have the use of the franchise tag this time around? Jackson is currently 10th in average annual value, but the $51.25 million base salary he’s owed in each of the next two years is hardly going to jeopardize his financial future.  

Another MVP-caliber season and a deep postseason run would make Jackson’s asking price even more lucrative a year from now, but it’s tough to imagine the Ravens being too upset with such an outcome. At the same time, two years is a long time in any veteran’s career to forgo an extension and assume the same lucrative bite at the free-agent apple will be there ahead of what would be his age-31 season. 

Working out a deal now just makes too much sense for both parties. It shouldn’t take that long or be all that complicated if the Ravens and Jackson are truly motivated to do this at a fair price. 

But the clock is ticking with DeCosta having quite a to-do list on the roster front after the Ravens missed the playoffs and rebooted their coaching staff.

“The urgency of that matters to me because we’ve got free agents, and I don’t want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head,” Bisciotti said. “And I made that clear to Lamar, and I think he was very appreciative of my stance and hopefully willing to work with Eric and not get this thing dragged out into April like it was the last time. It’s very hard for [DeCosta] to build a roster when that thing is not settled.”