NFL Insider Dishes on Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud New Contracts

Some of the NFL's top quarterbacks might not receive extensions before the start of the 2026 NFL season, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Tuesday.

That potentially includes the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson, who Graziano reported "isn't rushing to do an extension with the Ravens."

ESPN's Jamison Hensley reported that Jackson has been attending voluntary offseason workouts and minicamp sessions with the Ravens, which could be seen as an "encouraging sign."

"Jackson skipped most voluntary workouts in the past," Hensley noted.

Jackson is currently signed for two more seasons, although the Ravens likely need to work out an extension after 2026 in order to lower his $84.3 million cap hit for 2027.

The Ravens already lowered Jackson's 2026 cap hit by restructuring the deal in March. General manager Eric DeCosta said at the time the team "ran out of time" to agree to a deal, but were "hopeful that we'll get an extension done."

Sam Darnold has also yet to agree to an extension after leading the Seattle Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl LX. Like Jackson, he is currently signed through 2027.

Graziano reported Tuesday that the Seahawks "believe he's already appropriately compensated."

"What the Seahawks have shown since they traded Russell Wilson after the 2021 season is that they don't want to pay top-of-market quarterback money to a quarterback who isn't a top-of-market player," Graziano reported.

Paying Darnold below the top of the quarterback market last season helped the Seahawks sign other star free agents, and winning the championship "helped convince Seattle that it was handling the quarterback business the right way all along," Graziano wrote.

The Carolina Panthers don't "seem in a huge hurry to do a Bryce Young extension," Graziano reported. Young is currently under contract for two more seasons after the Panthers activated his 2027 club option.

Graziano additionally reported that the Houston Texans are on track to wait until after the 2026 season to extend C.J. Stroud, who, like Young, has already had his team option activated for 2027.

What those contract negotiations look like next offseason will hinge on whether Stroud is able to return to the production levels that saw him rack up more than 4,000 passing yards in 15 games of his first NFL season, Graziano reported.

"If Stroud rebounds and plays in 2026 the way he did as a rookie, I believe the Texans will have no issues extending him next offseason," Graziano reported.

Teams begin OTA offseason workouts late this month, started by the start of mandatory minicamps in early June. While the Ravens might be hoping to have a new deal for Jackson in place by then, it sounds like Darnold, Young and Stroud could be heading into camp with their current deals still in place.