The Baltimore Ravens couldn’t agree on a contract extension with Lamar Jackson before the start of the new league year.
As such, they had no choice but to unilaterally restructure his contract.
They’ve now reportedly converted most of his base salary into a signing bonus ($49.95M), with an $1.3M base salary and a $750K workout bonus.
That revised deal added a void year to his contract, lowering his cap hit by $39.96M this season but raising it to nearly $85M next year.
More than that, as NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported, it leaves the Ravens in a tough spot if Jackson decides to walk in free agency.
Ravens still aren’t in the clear with Lamar Jackson
“The Ravens have made clear since last year they want to extend Lamar Jackson, which would allow them to keep pushing cap hits into the future. As of now, he is signed through 2027 and has a no-tag clause, meaning he would be able to hit free agency in 2028,” Pelissero explained.
Contract negotiations between the Ravens and Jackson have been sour since he got his first extension. He doesn’t have an agent, and that only makes the process a bit more complicated.
Jackson reportedly wants a top-of-the-market deal, just like happens every time a quarterback resets the market.
He has yet to make a deep postseason run, and there are some major concerns about his durability and work ethic.
It’ll be interesting to see what he can accomplish now that John Harbaugh is no longer in the building and a revamped defense under Jesse Minter is in place.
That will only put more pressure on GM Eric DeCosta to get a deal done before he can test free agency and they lose him for nothing.