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Baltimore’s Week 17 plan is suddenly holding its breath. Lamar Jackson was a DNP in Tuesday’s walkthrough as he deals with a back injury suffered in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 28-24 loss to the Patriots, and that absence casts real doubt on whether he’ll be available for the Packers with the team sitting at 7-8 and fighting to keep its season alive.
In the 12 games he has played, Jackson has completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,311 yards, 18 touchdowns and six picks, plus 340 rushing yards and two more scores, which is why any missed time changes everything about Baltimore’s margin for error.
From there, the bigger, more complicated conversation starts, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler laid it out as a looming crossroads for 2026. Graziano wrote that the Ravens essentially have two paths with Jackson: restructure his deal through an extension, or explore a trade.
Jackson has two years left at $51.25 million in base salary per season, none of the remaining money is guaranteed, and his 2026 cap hit would balloon to $74.5 million, which is why Graziano framed an extension as the cleanest way to lower the number.
He also noted that any trade route comes with a massive caveat, Jackson has a no-trade clause, so he’d have significant say if Baltimore ever went down that road.
Fowler echoed that the situation requires real care, adding that Jackson isn’t exactly having his best “contract year” by his own standards.
He pointed to Jackson missing three games already and possibly a fourth due to the back contusion, plus the possibility of Baltimore missing the playoffs, as factors that can make front-office decisions feel heavier when the season is trending the wrong way instead of peaking.
All of that hangs over a franchise that also has to answer for its direction beyond the quarterback.
Head coach John Harbaugh addressed job-security talk with a steady line, saying coaching is a day-to-day job and it has never been about “keeping a job,” it’s about doing it well that day.
The Ravens need to build some momentum and try to fight for a better situation in 2026.
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