To make any moves in the offseason, the Baltimore Ravens knew they had to do some work on their quarterback, Lamar Jackson's contract.
Initially, the goal was to reach a contract extension since Jackson is only under contract for another two seasons, but nothing got done. Instead, the Ravens were forced to restructure his contract to create some salary cap space for 2026, but what exactly went into that?
NFL insider Tom Pelissero got the details as the Ravens gave Jackson a $49.95 million signing bonus, a $1.3 million salary, and a $750,000 workout bonus. Baltimore also added a voided year as Jackson will make $52 million this season, but the Ravens' cap number dropped by $39.96 million with his cap hit raised to $84.49 million in 2027. Pelissero also added that Jackson has a no-tag clause in his contract, so if an extension can't be reached before the 2028 offseason, he will be a free agent that year.
Lamar Jackson's restructured contract details are out
Ravens fans would have preferred this to be an extension so they wouldn't have to worry about future issues, but at least they created the cap space they needed. That extra $39.96 million helped Baltimore sign some high-contract players, like Trey Hendrickson and John Simpson.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
It will also help them make any other moves needed to improve the roster. According to Over The Cap, without accounting for the free-agent signings' contracts, the Ravens have $52.9 million after Jackson's restructure.
Jackson helped out the Ravens in a big way, even if it wasn't by choice, and the team had to make something happen. This will hopefully be a reward for Jackson as the team continues to work with him and his representatives to get an extension done at some point this offseason.
There is legitimate concern about letting this situation continue throughout 2026 and into the 2027 offseason, as that could be one way to tick off Jackson. In the past, the Ravens have not had the smoothest negotiations with Jackson and nearly lost him after requesting a trade.
Baltimore knows that this next contract could end up becoming really expensive to the point that it might make him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, depending on the situation. If the Ravens were smart, they would get a deal done with him now and not even worry about waiting it out. If Jackson leads the Ravens to a Super Bowl in 2026, that will only drive the price even higher, so save the headache of the future and get it done now.
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