Every year, the coaching carousel precedes the quarterback carousel. There’s one quarterback who could turn the whole thing into a rollercoaster.
It’s too early to assume Lamar Jackson will absolutely, positively be back with the Ravens in 2026. He may not be thrilled with the ultimate selection of a head coach. Likewise, the team and Jackson may fail to get a mutually-acceptable contract extension in place before the start of free agency. Or Jackson may simply be ready for a fresh start, after eight years with one team.
Last month’s column from Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun, which stirred things up (and which rang true in multiple ways), mentioned two potential destinations for Jackson: Miami and Las Vegas.
The Tua Tagovailoa contract, which carries $54 million in guarantees for 2026 and a $99 million dead-cap charge, will make it very hard for the Dolphins to give Jackson a market-level deal, even if there’s a sense in league circles that he’d love to get back to his hometown of Miami.
The Raiders are a different story. They have the cap space. They presumably have the cash. And they hold the first overall pick in the draft.
Some are wondering whether that would do it. The first pick, which would give the Ravens a straight shot at quarterback Fernando Mendoza (or the ability to re-trade the pick for a king’s ransom), for the two-time MVP who is now 29 and often injured.
Whatever the cost (and it’s unclear whether Jackson would have other suitors, given that no one called when he was available under the non-exclusive franchise tag three years ago), the Raiders arguably need to make a splash. Adding Jackson could lure other free agents to town. And it could go a long way toward getting current star players (Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers) to stop wondering whether their skills are being wasted with a perennial basement dweller.
The key to a possible Jackson trade, from the Raiders’ perspective, is minority owner Tom Brady. Although Brady managed (somehow) to avoid taking widespread public flak for the abject failure of the franchise in 2025, he’s now front and center. If 2026 goes like 2025, Brady’s leather-glove-and-expensive-watch ensemble will be finished off with a front-office dunce cap.
Of course, the Ravens would have to be willing to pull the trigger. More importantly, Jackson would largely control the process, and the outcome.
Earlier this week, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti explained that, while Jackson will have input on the eventual coaching hire, "[H]e has no power. I have the power.” As to Lamar’s future in Baltimore, Lamar has the power.
He has the power to refuse any/all offers the team may make on an extension, opting instead to play out the next two years, exit with a massive pile of dead money in his wake, and become a free agent (his contract has a no-tag clause). Jackson also has the power over any trade possibilities, since his contract includes a no-trade clause. (Obviously, that doesn’t mean he can’t be traded; it means he can only be traded if he chooses to waive it.)
In theory, the Raiders and the Ravens (or anyone else and the Ravens) could agree to the terms of a Lamar Jackson trade at any time, with the understanding that it will be finalized on March 11, the first day of the league year. If Brady wants to take a big swing and if Jackson is ready to take his bat and ball to a new city, it’s something to keep an eye on.
If it’s going to happen, it could (and arguably should) move quickly. With both the Raiders and Ravens looking for new coaches, Lamar’s future will become a major factor in both searches.
