The Baltimore Ravens were dealt a crushing blow to their 2026 playoff chances in Week 8, not only with a loss to the Buffalo Bills, but also with the likely season-ending injury to Lamar Jackson.
Their franchise QB is likely done for the year, which comes at a horrible time for the Ravens. Not only are they trying to make the most of this aging roster, but Jackson’s contract situation made this year imperative for the Ravens.
Now, as ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes, the Ravens might “have to” consider a trade of Jackson this upcoming offseason if they can’t work out an extension. But there’s one huge problem with such a potential trade: Jackson’s full no-trade clause.
Ravens have a huge Lamar Jackson problem amid trade speculation
“Yeah, if they get to next spring and still can’t get a deal done, they are simply going to have to consider trading him,” Graziano writes.
Jackson will carry a mammoth $84 million cap hit for the 2027 season, which the Ravens surely will want to adjust in a meaningful way. That could be done through an extension, which is the ideal outcome to keep him in Baltimore.
But his injury this season, combined with his history of injury issues, might make him a bit more questionable to remain in Baltimore long-term.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, Jackson has a full no-trade clause, which effectively means the Ravens cannot trade him somewhere without his permission. Jackson controls his future, and the Ravens are in trouble because of it.
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So, where does that leave the Ravens? They need financial relief from Jackson’s $84 million cap hit in 2027, so a trade or an extension is a must for the Ravens.
But since Jackson has full control over a contract and a trade, the Ravens will either have to meet his contract demands or find a trade destination where he wants to go; otherwise, they run the risk of losing the superstar QB for nothing in free agency.
This is a tricky situation for the Ravens, and it’s going to be the storyline to follow this upcoming offseason. Jackson’s future in Baltimore is in question, and this trade problem is one of the reasons why the Ravens might be in trouble.
