Overview
- Jackson suffered a right-thumb injury that requires surgery and is expected to be placed on injured reserve, a development reported on Monday that makes a season return unlikely.
- He is under a five-year, $260 million contract that runs through 2027 and has no guaranteed salary remaining beyond the 2026 season.
- Because Baltimore restructured his deal this offseason, Jackson’s cap number is projected at more than $84 million in 2027, a figure that would severely constrain the team’s ability to build the roster.
- Reports say Jackson holds contract protections such as a no-tag and no-trade clause and that he previously 'balked' at extension talks, giving him leverage to play out the contract and potentially test free agency in 2028.
- Facing surgery and mounting durability questions, the Ravens must weigh an expensive extension that would lower next year’s cap hit against a difficult trade or release that would carry large dead-cap consequences and reshape the team’s short-term plans.