Lamar Jackson's return from a three-game absence caused by a high ankle sprain lasted exactly one offensive play. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback hurt his right thumb when his hand struck Buffalo Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau on the follow-through of a pass in Sunday's 36-10 loss. Jackson, who needs surgery and was placed on injured reserve, is out indefinitely with what could be a season-ending injury.
The injury sharpens questions about his future. Jackson is in the fourth year of a five-year deal that made him the NFL's highest-paid player at $52 million per year, and his 2027 pay of $52 million, a $51.25 million base salary plus a $750,000 workout bonus, is unsecured. His $84.34 million 2027 cap number trails only Patrick Mahomes' $90.35 million, and the contract carries a no-trade clause and a ban on franchise or transition tags when it expires.
That figure hangs over a team carrying an NFL-high $366.74 million in 2027 commitments for 45 players, with the 2027 salary cap projected between $322.5 million and $327.5 million.
Jackson holds most of the leverage. Owner Steve Bisciotti wanted an extension before the 2026 league year opened in March, but reports indicated Jackson, who represents himself and has never had an agent, was the hold-up. Baltimore instead restructured his contract to create $39.96 million in 2026 cap room, adding a voiding 2030 year for bonus proration.
Durability is the Ravens' concern. Jackson has dealt with hamstring, ankle, toe, knee, back and thumb injuries across 2025 and 2026, and if his season is over he will have played just 18 of a possible 34 games in that span after missing only one in 2023 and 2024 combined. None is considered career-threatening, and before the ankle injury the two-time MVP was thriving under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, completing a career-best 70.8% of his passes with six touchdowns, one interception and a 119.6 passer rating.
Precedent suggests injuries need not block a record deal. Kansas City reworked Mahomes' contract in June even after he tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee, posted career lows and went 6-11. Mahomes is signed through 2033 at eight years and $504.75 million, a $63.1 million average with $150 million fully guaranteed at signing, a 5.16% jump over Dak Prescott's 2024 Dallas extension. Jackson turns 30 in January.
A trade is complicated. Jackson must approve any move, and dealing him before the 2027 draft, April 29 through May 1, would leave $74.81 million in dead money while saving just $9.53 million. Waiting past June 1 would split the hit into $32.34 million in 2027 and $42.47 million in 2028 and free $52 million, but Baltimore would carry his full cap number until June, and an acquiring team would want him much sooner.
The clause could also shrink the return, making the 2022 hauls Houston and Seattle received for Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson unrealistic, especially if Jackson, a South Florida native, fixated on one destination such as Miami. The floor, the analysis suggests, resembles what Chicago just paid Tennessee for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons: first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 plus a 2027 fourth-rounder. Any buyer would presumably attach a new contract rather than accept a one-year rental.
If Jackson plays out the deal and reaches free agency in 2028, the tag ban limits Baltimore's options. Carrying his $84.34 million cap number would be unprecedented, dwarfing the record $50.5 million Dallas carried for Prescott in 2025. Another restructure could free up to $37.4 million in 2027 room, but a maximum restructure followed by his exit would leave $79.9 million in 2028 dead money. There is even a remote scenario where the Ravens release him with a post-June 1 designation next March, forfeiting a potential 2029 compensatory third-round pick.
