The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson have an expensive problem looming.
Next season, Jackson's cap hit is lined up to be $74.5 million. That's because of the bonus structure of the contract extension that Jackson signed two years ago.
The Ravens have options, but they're going to have to pick one and not stand pat, because that's way too large a cap hit to deal with in a single season.
"Sure, the Ravens could do a restructure and knock that number down into the mid-$30 million range," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote on Wednesday. "But restructures just push a cap issue into future years, and you wonder if the better route is a new deal, especially if Jackson is uncomfortable making less per year than guys such as Trevor Lawrence and (Tua) Tagovailoa."
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This has been a brutal season in Baltimore, with the 1-5 record and the hamstring injury Jackson is dealing with. So the vibes aren't exactly ideal for contract negotiations.
Jackson also is still unique in the fact that he doesn't have an agent.
"(That) has made negotiations difficult in the past," Graziano writes. "If the Ravens have to renegotiate to get next year's cap number down but Jackson doesn't care to, there's no intermediary to work out those differences. I imagine this all works out in the end, as it did last time. But you'll remember it got dicey the last time and obviously could again for a number of reasons."
Jackson remains one of the top quarterbacks in football, a two-time MVP whose only main flaw has been that he can't get past Patrick Mahomes in the postseason (which is not an issue that only Jackson has).
As it works these days, Jackson is going to get paid. Quarterbacks get the bag when they're due for it.
The major question will be how the Ravens decide to handle it. Where do they put the money? How does it impact roster building?
And most importantly, can the Ravens swing a new deal in a way that allows them to bounce back from a nightmare 2025 season?
At this point, a fast forward to the future is likely all that anyone in Baltimore wants.
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