Why Lamar Jackson Might Not Want a Ravens Contract Extension

The usual question about a Lamar Jackson extension is whether Baltimore will pay. Albert Breer flipped it around on the show.

"I think the Ravens are totally willing to do a deal," Breer said. "Does Lamar want to do a deal?"

The detail Breer believes is getting overlooked sits at the back end of Jackson's current contract. He has a no-tag provision in 2028. "If he wants to take it, he's got an open freeway to free agency," Breer said. "And this is a guy who's thought differently over the course of his career."

None of this, in Breer's telling, is about the Ravens cooling on their quarterback. He ran through the people in charge, from Jesse Minter to Declan Doyle to Eric DeCosta, and said all of them are in on Jackson. "They love him. They want to build around him."

The wild card is personal. "But what if Lamar had in the back of his head, I want to go home?" Breer asked. The room filled in the answer: Miami. Breer added that Malik Willis just signed a two-year deal, and that "you just start to think about those things."

He was careful not to overstate it. Breer said he does not know, and that the Ravens could put something in front of Jackson by the end of August that he cannot refuse. He would not be surprised if Baltimore really tries, and he thinks it should.

Still, the calendar is what makes it worth watching. The no-tag clause is only two years away, and Jackson will be just 31 when March of 2028 arrives.

"I think it's at least interesting," Breer said.