The Baltimore Ravens thought, at least for a few moments Sunday night, that they were about to run onto the field in celebration of a playoff berth.
Instead, Tyler Loop's field goal sailed wide right, and the offseason has arrived -- and with it some major Lamar Jackson contract decisions needing to be made.
The trade rumors that surrounded Jackson a bit late in the season mostly quieted down. The Ravens won't be getting rid of their franchise QB.
He was particularly special on Sunday night in multiple huge spots, reminding Baltimore how good he can be.
But going forward, something needs to happen with Jackson's contract.
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Why does Lamar Jackson 'need' a new contract?
The need for a new contract for Jackson is explained nicely by ESPN's Jamison Hensley:
"The Ravens will be extremely limited with what they can do in free agency if they don't lower Jackson's cap figure, which jumps to $74.5 million in 2026 (roughly 25% of Baltimore's cap). The team likely needs to sign him to a new contract, and the last contract talks with Jackson were challenging because he doesn't have an agent and represents himself."
The NFL has a good amount of flexibility for teams to do contract restructuring and recreation to avoid terrible cap situations.
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The Ravens will want to aim back for the playoffs next season after injuries hampered them in 2025, and to do that, they'll need Jackson's salary to be more manageable.
It may not be an easy negotiation, but that's irrelevant. It just has to get done.
Baltimore was a Super Bowl favorite this season and totally flopped.
Next season has to be better, and it starts with fixing Jackson's contract.
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