Lamar Jackson injury throws huge wrench into looming contract talks with Ravens

Jackson's current contract runs through the 2027 season Nov 2, 2026 at 9:34 am ET • 3 min read The Baltimore Ravens suddenly find themselves in an uncomfortable position. Of course, the most immediate issue for the organization is seeing Lamar Jackson suffer a right thumb injury on his first play back from a three-game absence due to a high ankle sprain. Now, the two-time NFL MVP needs surgery and could be sidelined for the rest of the season. From a big-picture view, however, the concern is more existential: How do they handle their future with Jackson? One of the storylines that has hovered over the franchise is that Jackson is due for a contract extension. His current deal — a five-year, $260 million contract that, at the time, made him the highest-paid player in the league — runs out after the 2027 campaign. Jackson also has no guaranteed salary remaining on his current contract beyond this season. Since signing that deal, Jackson has earned another MVP award (2023), was runner-up for MVP in 2024, and is 34-17 over his 51 regular season starts with a 110.1 passer rating. He's also 2-2 in the playoffs over this stretch with a 105.8 passer rating. More recently, he looked great in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's system, as his yards per attempt (10.1), air yards per attempt (10.9) and 70.8% completion rate in four games played entering Week 8 were all on pace to be career highs. Those will be just some of the figures he and his camp will likely point to as they once again look to reset the market at the position, as every player of his caliber aims to do when they sit down at the negotiating table. That said, the Ravens may have some trepidation this time around, particularly as these injuries start to pile up. Before this thumb injury that could knock him out of Baltimore's final nine games of the year, he had already been sidelined for three games with an ankle injury. Last year, Jackson missed a total of four games due to back and hamstring injuries. Lamar Jackson injury historyInjuryGames missed2026Right thumb???2026Ankle32025Back12025Hamstring32022PCL sprain52021Right ankle sprain4Possibly resetting the market once again with a quarterback who is about to turn 30 in January and is starting to have injuries pile up is a risky endeavor for the franchise, which could result in another murky negotiation. If you remember last time around, it wasn't smooth sailing between Jackson and the Ravens leading up to their most recent agreement. In fact, Jackson requested a trade before ultimately inking his deal to remain in Baltimore, so there is some history of things getting spicy between these two sides. With this latest right thumb injury adding to his growing list of ailments on his résumé, it throws a rather seismic wrench into these future talks. Along with Jackson, quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are all due to sign extensions this offseason. Each of them will try to exceed Patrick Mahomes, who is currently the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL with an average annual value of $64 million per season. Dak Prescott is the only other quarterback currently making $60 million per season, but that will soon change with all of these signal-callers — including Jackson — up. Right now, 11 other quarterbacks are ahead of Jackson's $52 million AAV. Does Jackson push to once again become the highest-paid player in NFL history when he signs his contract? Does he simply look to be among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league? That distinction could be the difference between a deal getting done in somewhat quick fashion or dragging out throughout the summer. For the Ravens, they may be painted into a corner. They'll rightfully have concerns about signing Jackson to another monster, possibly record-setting extension, but what else are they going to do? The organization is 7-14 without Jackson since his first start in Week 11 of the 2018 season (including playoffs). It's hard to imagine Jackson playing on a lame duck contract, so they'll either need to sign him or trade him. Does the organization have the appetite to blow it up, ship the two-time MVP away and rebuild? Maybe it depends on how venomous these upcoming negotiations get. The most likely option is that they pay him, no matter how much their hands shake as they slide the contract across the table. Whether it pays off with a deep playoff run or a Super Bowl is a different question entirely, especially as these injuries become more prevalent.