It has truly been a wild 24 hours for the Baltimore Ravens. Just a few short days ago, it was reported that they had agreed to trade two first round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for star pass rusher Maxx Crosby. Last night, though, it was revealed that the Ravens had pulled out of the deal. They cited medical concerns with Crosby’s knee as their reason for doing so.
Hours later, it was then reported that Baltimore had nabbed the biggest free agent name on the market: pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. They signed him to a four-year deal worth up to $120 million, or $30 million a year.
In the midst of this, one thing that was overlooked until recently was the work quarterback Lamar Jackson did to make it possible.
The Baltimore Ravens restructure the contract of Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens, Lamar Jackson, NFL
Nov 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) practices before the game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
According to multiple reports, Jackson has had his contract restructured by the Ravens. This particular restructure has cleared up to $40 million in salary cap space for Baltimore:
Ravens have reworked the contract of Lamar Jackson, as @AKinkhabwala also reported. 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… pic.twitter.com/fFoIKZZ9AG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2026
To be clear, this is not a pay cut for Jackson. Instead, it converts part of his salary to bonuses, which do not count against the 2026 salary cap. That being said, it does increase his cap hits in future years, so there will be more work done on his contract, but not this year.
As noted, this is not an uncommon thing for highly paid players to do, especially quarterbacks. Josh Allen, it was reported, had his contract restructured just this morning to clear $12 million of cap space for the Buffalo Bills. Patrick Mahomes has had his contract restructured many times by the Kansas City Chiefs to help them afford the other players they want to sign.
Jackson, who owns the highest career passer rating in NFL history (102.2), is hoping for a healthy season in 2026 with a revamped offense and defense around him that can return Baltimore to the postseason and Super Bowl contention.