Lamar Jackson is a priceless quarterback, but there are still numbers that don’t make sense.
Like a $73.5 million salary-cap hit.
The Ravens are confident that Jackson will sign a contract extension that will lower his salary-cap hit and keep him in Baltimore beyond the 2027 season, general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters at the NFL Combine.
The question now is the timing of the extension.
It would be ideal for the Ravens if Jackson’s extension is done within the next two weeks, opening more salary-cap flexibility as they enter the free agency and trades portion of the offseason.
Jackson’s offseason is different this year because he has a new head coach (Jesse Minter replaced the fired John Harbaugh) and a new offensive coordinator (Declan Doyle replaced new Browns head coach Todd Monken).
“Lamar and I have an agreement,” DeCosta said. “We handle business kind of in-house internally. That worked well for us last time and we will continue to have that policy moving forward. Have spoken to Lamar about a lot of different things over the last month. He’s been very engaged. He was a big value to us in the coaching search, but we’ll continue those conversations moving forward.”
If the Ravens can’t get an extension done, then they can restructure Jackson’s contract by converting salary into a signing bonus without needing his consent.
The two-time NFL MVP, who represents himself and does not have an agent, negotiated a five-year, $260 million extension in April 2023.
With the new staff in place, will Jackson attend OTAs to get a jumpstart on his new offense? Jackson’s attendance has been spotty in the past.
“Those are voluntary,” DeCsota said. “Lamar is a two-time MVP. I think he knows what it takes to get ready for the grind of the NFL season. He’s proven he can do it at a very, very high level and I have no preference.”