ESPN analyst issues warning on Lamar Jackson’s Ravens future after 2026

The Baltimore Ravens bought themselves breathing room in March when they restructured Lamar Jackson’s contract to create cap space for the 2026 NFL season.

The revised deal included a $49.95 million signing bonus, a $1.3 million base salary, and a $750,000 workout bonus. Baltimore also added a void year, setting Jackson’s earnings at $52 million for this season. The immediate cap number dropped by $39.96 million, but the move wasn’t without consequences.

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Jackson’s 2027 cap hit now sits at $84.49 million after a big chunk of the 2026 burden got pushed forward. That creates a financial mess down the road, and it’s starting to raise real questions about Jackson’s future with the franchise.

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Jackson remains under contract through 2027, but the lack of guaranteed money left on that deal opens the door to uncertainty.

Contract talks remain unresolved, and analyst Louis Riddick did not shy away from addressing the possibility that 2026 could be Jackson’s final season in Baltimore during a recent segment on “Get Up.”

“No, it’s not out of the question for a number of different reasons. Look, the Ravens are up against the cap here in the future, especially when you’re talking about the 2027 cap,” Riddick said. “They’re 20 million plus over the cap, right now, projected. Lamar’s cap number, from this year to next, goes from, like, 34 to 84. They need to get that down. They need to get a long-term extension in place.”

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Jackson wants a major payday that reflects his production and value. That naturally raises the stakes in negotiations, but what complicates things further is how those talks get handled.

Jackson represents himself, so everything moves on his timeline without an agent working behind the scenes. That dynamic adds a tough layer to an already delicate process when both sides need to find common ground on a deal of this magnitude.

Riddick pointed out that if progress stalls, ownership could eventually be forced to consider alternatives. The dead cap hit becomes more manageable by 2027, which means a trade isn’t something that can be ruled out.