The possibility of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens eventually going separate ways has been hanging out there since the start of the 2026 season, but the conversation has only gotten louder after the quarterback’s latest injury.
Jackson suffered a thumb injury on Nov. 1 on his throwing hand, an issue that required surgery and could keep him out for the rest of the season. That has only added fuel to the idea that other teams are already thinking ahead in case Baltimore and Jackson reach the end of their run together.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio laid out the financial side of it in a piece published Thursday, pointing to what Jackson’s contract looks like as the 2027 league year approaches. “Jackson’s cap number spikes to $84.34M (when the new league year opens in March 2027),” Florio wrote.
“Although the team has the right to do another restructuring that would reduce the 2027 cap number, that would make the dead-cap reckoning even larger as of 2028. A trade would avoid the final $52M in cash and cap charges, but the cap realities would make a post-June 1 move the far better option.
And there have been whispers of at least one team doing advance homework on a potential pursuit of Jackson in 2027.”
There are also contract details that make this situation more complicated for Baltimore. Jackson’s deal blocks the Ravens from using either the franchise tag or transition tag to hold onto him after 2027, and it also includes a no-trade clause.
The injury concern is part of the bigger picture, too. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic noted recently that if Jackson’s thumb injury keeps him sidelined for the rest of the year, he will “have missed 16 games over the past two years and left a few other games during that span early with injuries.” That kind of availability issue could make Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and owner Steve Bisciotti hesitate before committing to another major extension.
As for where Jackson could land if things ever got that far, the New York Jets were tied to him in an August report that said they could eventually hire Mike Tomlin as head coach and then pursue Jackson. More recently, his name has again been connected to the Miami Dolphins.
Back in 2023, some believed Jackson might force his way to Miami before the Ravens extended him that spring. On paper, Jackson would be an upgrade over current Miami starting quarterback Malik Willis.
Still, Florio also noted, “As long as that desire to avoid a future without Lamar Jackson remains, there’s no reason to think he won’t be back in Baltimore in 2027.”
As of the morning of Nov. 5, that desire was still unclear.
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