The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Dilemma: Genius, Fragility, and the Urgency of a Backup Plan
Talk to anyone inside the Ravens’ building about Lamar Jackson, and the comparisons start flying. He’s Rembrandt with the football, Picasso in the pocket, Mozart with the playbook, Einstein with the read-option.
He sees the game through a lens few can even comprehend, let alone replicate. That kind of brilliance?
It’s rare. But it also comes with a catch.
Genius doesn’t scale. You can’t coach it into someone else.
You can’t plug in a replacement and expect the same results. And when your entire offense is built around a once-in-a-generation talent, everything hinges on that player staying healthy, engaged, and in rhythm.
On Sunday night, we saw what happens when that equation breaks. Jackson exited with a back injury, and with it, Baltimore’s playoff hopes effectively followed him to the locker room.
The Cost of Losing Lamar
Jackson will finish this season having played no more than 14 games-though even that feels optimistic. This isn’t a new pattern.
Since entering the league, he’s had two full 15-game seasons, two 12-game campaigns, and his rookie year, where he wasn’t the full-time starter. When he’s on the field and fully healthy, the Ravens are a different beast.
The offense hums. Defenses scramble.
The impossible becomes routine.
But take him off the field-or even limit his mobility with a nagging injury-and the magic disappears. In 2025, the drop-off has been staggering.
The Ravens have scored about 12 fewer points per game without him. Their offensive EPA per play has plummeted from 1.51 to -8.47.
That’s not just a dip. That’s a nosedive.
And here’s the hard truth: Baltimore wasn’t prepared for it. Cooper Rush, brought in as the backup, couldn’t replicate even a fraction of Jackson’s offensive impact.
The Ravens bet heavily on their coaching staff and surrounding personnel to keep the train moving without their star. It didn’t work.
That gamble cost them a playoff spot.
The Case for a Contingency Plan
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about trading Lamar Jackson. It’s not about firing John Harbaugh.
But it is about planning for the future with eyes wide open. If 2025 taught the Ravens anything, it’s that they need a legitimate succession plan at quarterback.
Not just a clipboard holder. Not just a veteran stopgap.
A real, developmental prospect who can grow behind Jackson-and, if needed, step in without the offense falling apart.
Think of it like Green Bay’s Jordan Love plan. When the Packers drafted Love, it wasn’t about pushing Aaron Rodgers out the door.
It was about leverage, security, and long-term vision. Rodgers responded with back-to-back MVP seasons.
The team had options. They had flexibility.
And eventually, they made a smooth transition.
Baltimore can do the same. Jackson turns 29 in a few weeks.
Back in 2018, the Ravens drafted him at the end of the first round while Joe Flacco was still under contract, having just wrapped up his age-32 season. The team hadn’t made the playoffs in two years, and while Flacco’s decline was evident, the move was still bold.
It paid off. The Ravens pivoted to a new offensive identity and launched a new era of competitiveness.
Now, they have a chance to do it again-this time with the benefit of hindsight.
The Financial and Physical Realities
Jackson’s contract situation isn’t going away. He represents himself, keeps a tight inner circle, and negotiations have historically been complex.
That dynamic isn’t likely to change. Having a young, cost-controlled quarterback waiting in the wings gives the Ravens leverage-not just in contract talks, but in how they manage their roster and cap space moving forward.
And then there’s the wear and tear. Jackson has taken a beating.
Strip away games missed due to illness or rest, and he’s still appeared on the injury report 17 times. He’s logged over 1,000 carries-just 800 fewer than Saquon Barkley, who plays running back for a living.
Add in 225 sacks and 178 hits in the pocket, and the toll starts to add up.
Eventually, Jackson’s game will have to evolve. His arm talent is undeniable, and there’s every reason to believe he can transition into a more traditional quarterback role as his athleticism wanes.
But the Ravens don’t know what that version of Jackson looks like yet. And until they do, they need to protect themselves.
Why 2026 Matters
Based on current standings, the Ravens would hold the 14th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s a solid position in what’s shaping up to be a decent quarterback class-not the blockbuster group expected in 2027, but enough talent to find a developmental prospect with upside.
If Jackson returns healthy next season and leads the Ravens back to double-digit wins, they’ll be picking much later. That window to grab a potential successor?
It might close.
Baltimore has the infrastructure to pull this off. They’ve done it before-building an offense around Jackson’s unique skill set when many doubted it could work.
They can do it again with a new quarterback, tailoring the scheme to fit the player, not the other way around. That’s the kind of forward-thinking that keeps teams competitive year after year.
No one’s calling for a changing of the guard. But the Ravens have to be realistic.
Jackson is a singular talent, but he’s also human. Injuries happen.
Contract talks get messy. And sometimes, even brilliance isn’t enough to carry a team through adversity.
The Bottom Line
The Ravens don’t need to panic. But they do need to plan. Drafting a quarterback in 2026 isn’t about replacing Lamar Jackson-it’s about insuring against the fragility that comes with relying so heavily on one player, no matter how gifted he is.
Because if Sunday showed us anything, it’s that betting everything on one man, even a genius, can leave you vulnerable. And in a league that punishes the unprepared, the smartest move Baltimore can make is to be ready for whatever comes next.