Lamar Jackson Contract Extension Eyed by Ravens GM Eric DeCosta After Trey Hendrickson Deal

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is optimistic about the team agreeing to a potential contract extension with star quarterback Lamar Jackson.

DeCosta said Wednesday that the Ravens are still hopeful to sign Jackson to an extension despite running out of time to get a deal done prior to free agency, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Baltimore bolstered its pass rush earlier on Wednesday, signing defensive end Trey Hendrickson to a four-year contract worth $112 million.

The move came after the Ravens backed out of their blockbuster trade for Las Vegas Raiders star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby on Tuesday.

In order to free up cap space to sign Hendrickson, Baltimore restructured Jackson's current deal.

The Ravens triggered a clause in the two-time MVP's contract that reduced his 2026 cap figure from $74.5 million to $34.54 million and gave the team an additional $39.96 million in cap space, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley.

It's worth noting that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti previously stressed the importance of getting a contract extension done with Jackson before the official start of free agency on Wednesday, though.

"You can play with that money all you want [by restructuring a contract]," Bisciotti said in January, per Hensley. "That's not what we want. We want another window, and Lamar knows that."

Jackson is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028, but DeCosta seems to be confident in a long-term agreement being reached.

It's not hard to see why the Ravens are focused on securing the 29-year-old's long-term future with the team, as he's remained one of the NFL's top quarterbacks when healthy.

During the 2025 season, Jackson completed 63.6 percent of his throws for 2,549 yards and 21 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions across 13 games. He also rushed for 349 yards and two scores.