Going into the offseason, many Baltimore Ravens fans thought a new contract extension was going to happen between the team and their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
Turns out they weren't able to get anything done before the new league year began, so they just restructured Jackson's contract instead. That helped the Ravens open up $40 million in cap space, which is good for making moves, but not great for the long-term relationship between the Ravens and Jackson. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta spoke with the media when asked why an extension wasn't done with Jackson, explaining that the team "ran out of time."
"Certainly hopeful that we'll get an extension done. It's important to both parties, but we remain to see what's going to take place in the future."
Eric DeCosta explains not extending Lamar Jackson yet with the Ravens
Ravens fans were hoping that something would get done after the rough past of contract talks between Baltimore and Jackson. Everyone might remember a few years ago, when Jackson asked to be traded before the Ravens finalized an extension with him.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Jackson only has two more years on his contract before he is a free agent in the 2028 offseason. With the restructured contract, he is looking at a cap hit of $34.5 million, down by nearly half from the $74.5 million they were initially facing.
There is hope that something will get done eventually, but it feels like another blunder by the Ravens this offseason after such a promising start with the hiring of Jesse Minter as the head coach and the staff he has put together. This offseason has featured Baltimore dropping the ball on re-signing Tyler Linderbaum, which might have been the right move after his $27 million per year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, and the fiasco that was the Maxx Crosby trade that Baltimore backed out of at the last second.
That cap space created, though, was imperative to get done, as it made room for the Ravens to complete the Trey Hendrickson deal, in which they are giving him four years and $118 million. Jackson's reworked deal should also open the door to other deals in the coming days and weeks leading up to the NFL Draft.
It's unfortunate that the Ravens could not complete the Crosby trade or give Jackson his deserved extension, but Baltimore has been late on this with Jackson before, so it could very well happen again.
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