The grass is seldom greener on the other side of moving on from a franchise-defining, MVP-caliber quarterback. With Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens' dilemma is whether they can afford to avoid taking that risk.
That's the main takeaway after Jackson suffered a thumb injury on the first play of Sunday's 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills that might end his season. This comes after Jackson missed the Ravens' previous three games, in which they went 1-2 with tough losses in an increasingly competitive AFC North, with an ankle injury. Even if Jackson does come back by the end of the year, there's a good chance Baltimore is already out of the playoff race by then.
To be clear, Jackson is the Ravens' offense. As with any face-of-the-league quarterback,
everything the Ravens do centers around his all-time talent. Everything. But that's the inherent problem. With his new serious thumb injury, that marks the second straight season where the Ravens couldn't count on Jackson to consistently be himself. In 2025, he missed only four games with a hamstring injury, but it was clear that it affected his play and ability to be dynamic through the rest of the season, and the Ravens eventually missed the playoffs.
Now, with Jackson set to enter the final year of his current contract in 2027 (where he will carry an $83 million salary cap hit), both he and the Ravens have allowed any possible new negotiations to officially bleed into November. Yes, even despite meaningless lip service from owner Steve Bisciotti last winter. When was the last time you ever saw an NFL team comfortable with allowing a quarterback it believes in long-term to get this close to a contract season in his prime? Any organization worth its salt has that sort of player signed on the dotted line a long, long time ago.
That the Ravens and Jackson have allowed this situation to get to this fraught stage speaks volumes about the potential divide they might have. His injury issues and inability to stay consistently healthy over the last two seasons certainly don't help.
What's funny is that I see the point of view from both perspectives. Sorry, sorry, I hate being the annoying Devil's Advocate sometimes. I really do, but bear with me.
For the Ravens, Jackson's electric style could age horribly as the superstar quarterback turns 30 this January. His injury issues lately might already be a sign of things to come. Who wants to commit to a long-term, expensive salary cap hit worthy of a player like Jackson at his best when you could potentially see him at his best less often moving forward?
But Jackson has been the face of the Ravens for nearly a decade. He is a perennial All-Pro, a two-time MVP, is inarguably the finest quarterback in franchise history and is a bona fide future Hall of Famer. He's one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, full stop. He should still have a lot left in the tank.
After all, Jackson's recent injury problems could be more bad luck than anything else because guess what? Football is dangerous and demands so much out of the human body. Injuries happen (Gasp, can he say that?). The Ravens already know what life is like without Jackson available. It's the biggest reason they're 4-4 this year and have underachieved so much lately in general.
Do they really want to wade into those uncertain franchise quarterback-less waters early if they don't have to? I have my doubts.
So, what next? A blockbuster trade featuring a generational quarterback in his prime on paper could, theoretically, be plausible. However, it would depend on the possible suitors, what they're willing to deal away (it would be a massive price for someone of Jackson's stature, at minimum), and how fractured this player-team relationship might be — if it even is fractured in the first place. I'm only making educated guesses here.
Still, a lot of leaps must be made before we ever get to the Ravens even entertaining a Jackson trade. Quarterback trades featuring icons like Jackson are rare and prone to blowing up in at least one team's face. That's the reason they're rare. The Matthew Stafford-to-Rams, Russell Wilson-to-Broncos, and Aaron Rodgers-to-Jets trades this decade are all good examples of that. The most likely outcome is Jackson and the Ravens eventually find common ground in the offseason to set themselves up for one last earnest shot at winning a Lombardi Trophy over the rest of his illustrious career. That thought process would require Baltimore to make an effort to restock Jackson's cupboard of weapons after Zay Flowers, while also finding a worthy Derrick Henry replacement, which won't be easy.
But that's the logical endgame if everyone uses common sense. It just is. I won't even entertain Baltimore letting Jackson walk in free agency in 2028 because that would be beyond foolish.
That's the crux of the issue at hand, though. Jackson's recent injury problems are enough to upend exactly what logic might mean to both the Ravens and the superstar quarterback. If I had to put money on it, I don't think Jackson and the Ravens will ever part ways. Not until he retires from professional football, anyway. But suddenly, I no longer think it's that unrealistic to see one of the most high-profile mid-career breakups in NFL history, either.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Lamar Jackson’s injury-riddled season is enough to question his Ravens future
