With two years left on his 2023 contract, Lamar Jackson enters the 2026 season without a new extension in hand. Both sides tried to hammer out a new deal this offseason before market rates explode, but couldn’t find common ground.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
General manager Eric DeCosta has been “optimistic” about getting a deal done with Jackson, but as the season begins with no extension in sight, NFL legend Cris Carter believes this unresolved situation is a major story to follow. It could lead to a future without Jackson in Baltimore.
“You talking about a guy [Lamar Jackson] that’s in the driver’s seat; he’s got two MVP trophies in his back pocket,” Hall of Famer Cris Carter said on the Inside Football show. “It’s hard to say a player in the history of this game has had a stronger position on a franchise and on what he wants to do because he’s his own agent or his mom is his agent. But you have to come talk to him. So, every game means an awful lot, not only to Baltimore, their head coach franchise, but to Lamar Jackson and his future in Baltimore; it could be swayed with a bad month.”
Jackson has all the leverage in the world to structure a deal that he wants. His five-year, $260 million contract extension, signed in 2023, includes a full no-trade and no-tag clause after 2027. The four-time Pro Bowler completely controls where the next chapter of his career plays out.
For the Ravens, the financial burden jumps from a $34.39 million cap hit in 2026 to a whopping $84.34 million in 2027. They had to restructure Jackson’s deal this year as well to keep that cap hit low, reducing it from $74.5 million to $34.39 million. That freed up almost $40 million to make some roster moves.
According to Carter, Jackson could land an “NBA-type contract” of around $70 million per year. But it makes the 2026 season critical, where every weekly result directly impacts his bargaining power.
“Because if he wants out of Baltimore, he’s going to be able to do that. And as a guy from Miami and a team that could be tanking, even though they not going to do it, you know, not going to admit to doing it this year, but they got the one of the worst rosters; they’re not going to win a whole bunch of games. They might be looking for a quarterback, and Lamar potentially being a free agent or holding all the cards of where he might go,” Carter added.
Jackson, who was born and raised in Florida, has strong Miami connections. If negotiations with Baltimore fall through, Carter notes the Florida native could easily land with the Miami Dolphins on a massive deal.
Now, this would be a huge level up for the Dolphins, getting a franchise quarterback with three first-team All-Pro selections, two MVPs, and four Pro Bowls. In the last seven years as a full-time starter, he has led the team to the postseason five times. That stands in stark contrast to the Dolphins under Tua Tagovailoa, where they have made the playoffs just twice.
However, how that would benefit Jackson is a different debate altogether. The 29-year-old hasn’t had a losing season since entering the league, outside of a 6-7 record last year. Meanwhile, for the last two years, the Dolphins have been finishing with losing records, 7-10 in 2025, and have not been a very consistent franchise.
Still, the biggest loser if Jackson walks would be Baltimore. The Ravens’ entire identity is built around #8.