It's officially July, yet Lamar Jackson's contract situation with the Baltimore Ravens remains unresolved. While Baltimore has restructured its deal to create cap space, the long-term extension is still nowhere in sight, and now an analyst believes Jackson should wait if he wants more than $50 million per year.

“The big picture here, Rich, is what's going to happen in 2027," said NFL Insider Tom Pelissero on July 18, while having a conversation at The Rich Eisen Show. "That's when the quarterback class from the 2024 draft becomes extension-eligible. You're talking about Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Bo Nix."

Lamar Jackson's $230 million contract remains one of the NFL's biggest, paying him $52 million annually, and a $72.5 million signing bonus.

While Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti wants to ease the cap burden, Jackson appears unwilling to back down from seeking another blockbuster deal.

Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, NFL insider Tom Pelissero said Jackson has every reason to wait, as he's almost certain to secure an even bigger contract next year.

“At that point, with where the salary cap is going, a $60 million contract right now might have to be $70 million to be at the top of the market a year from now,” said Pelissero.

As of July, according to Spotrac, the Ravens have dropped Jackson's 2026 cap figure from $74.5 million down to roughly $34.4–34.54 million.

However, this is quite problematic as it pushed his 2027 cap number up from $74.5 million to around $84.49–85 million.

If Lamar Jackson waits until next year, what changes?

Next year will be the final season of his three-year contract, and if Jackson rebounds this season from a disappointing 2025 campaign, then he will have all the cards in his court to decide what kind of contract extension he wants.

On top of that, as Tom Pelissero pointed out, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix will also be eligible for contract extensions next year.

With the quarterback market continuing to boom, Jackson will have an even better chance to land a blockbuster deal.

A scenario like this is what Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Eric DeCosta would like to avoid, as this will leave little to no room for them to manoeuvre.

They will not be able to use the franchise tag to prevent him from becoming a free agent, as they did in 2023, because he has a no-tag clause in his contract.

On top of that, Jackson doesn’t even have a trade clause, so they can’t trade him without his approval either.

"The Ravens are reportedly still interested in extending Jackson's contract this year," reported CBS Sports' Joel Corry on June 24.

Jackson is certainly looking for a contract extension with the Ravens. Still, he wants a bigger deal, something close to Dak Prescott's four-year, $240 million contract that averages $60 million per season. But for that, he will have to perform this season.

Given that, do you think Lamar Jackson would be able to make the Ravens pay him more? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar