Ravens Reportedly Eye Bills' Josh Allen 'Blueprint' for Lamar Jackson's Contract

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson still has three years left to run on his $260 million contract, but the team may decide to be proactive when it comes to his long-term future.

"The sense here around the league is that Baltimore could follow the blueprint that Buffalo put together back in March when they extended Josh Allen, even though he had multiple years left on his contract," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. "The feeling is, get ahead of that huge quarterback market money in three or four years from now, just pay your guy now when he's got multiple years left on his current deal."

The Buffalo Bills and Allen came to terms on a six-year, $330 million deal this offseason. In actuality, the contract only added two years because it covers the period for which he was already under team control.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta signaled this month on the BMore Baseball Podcast (via Kevin Eck of the team's official site) that preliminary negotiations are underway with Jackson.

"We've had some conversations before the draft, after the draft, in person last week," he said. "I think we're in the introductory sort of stage of looking at what an extension might look like."

When Jackson and the Ravens formalized their agreement in 2023, they set a record with his $52 million average salary. Just two years later, the two-time MVP ranks 10th at his position in annual earnings.

ESPN's Dan Graziano posited that requesting a payout that exceeds Dak Prescott's $60 million salary with the Dallas Cowboys "wouldn't be ridiculous" from Jackson.

For Baltimore, the upside of resetting the quarterback market now is that it will be cheaper in the long run than paying Jackson at his market rate in 2026 or beyond. By then, the going rate for a top-tier QB could hit $65 million or even $70 million.