Ravens GM Eric DeCosta told reporters recently that contract negotiatons with QB Lamar Jackson are “ongoing” but beyond that, he didn’t want to share much.
“I like to work kind of in the dark, quietly, and try to get as much done as we can,” DeCosta said via the team website.
“I appreciate the question, but it’s good to kind of keep these things with the players,” DeCosta added. “That will continue to be the way we operate. I really wouldn’t want to get into any specifics with any of our players and their contract negotiations. I think that hurts the process.”
Baltimore has been looking at extending contracts for a few key players, working out a huge deal with S Kyle Hamilton on Wednesday and having talks with TE Isaiah Likely and C Tyler Linderbaum. Jackson has three more years under contract, including 2025, but he’s obviously the biggest piece of the puzzle to build around.
Jackson’s cap hits are scheduled to increase to $74.5 million for the final two years of the deal, so Baltimore is looking to get a deal done sooner to spread out the cap hit and get ahead of what the market will be when the deal expires.
Jackson, 28, is a former first-round pick of the Ravens back in 2018. He played out the fourth year of his four-year, $9,471,652 contract that included a $5,968,472 signing bonus.
The Ravens picked up Jackson’s fifth-year option that cost them $23 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season. He was due to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag at a cost of $32.3 million fully guaranteed.
Baltimore later signed Jackson to a five-year, $260 million extension. He’s due base salaries of $20.25 million, $51.25 million and $51.25 million in the final three years of the deal.
In 2024, Jackson appeared in 17 games for the Ravens and completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 915 yards and four touchdowns.
We’ll have more on the Ravens and Jackson as the news is available.
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