On Saturday night in Green Bay, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson wore a cheese grater. On Thursday, the two-time NFL MVP tried to shred a narrative that emerged last week in the Baltimore Sun.
In a column that ultimately suggested the Ravens should consider trading Jackson, Mike Preston of the Sun dropped several nuggets that speak to a frayed relationship between player and team, regarding issues like conditioning, diet, late-night video-game sessions, and meeting-room siestas.
Jackson took issue with one specific aspect of Preston’s reporting on Thursday.
“Do you think [coach John] Harbaugh would let me fall asleep in meetings?” Jackson said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “That’s crazy. I’m right in the front. It’s just noise.”
Jackson also dismissed the notion that there are issues between quarterback and coach. “I don’t know where the noise came from,” Jackson said.
Generally, it came from the primary newspaper in the city the Ravens call home. Specifically, the question is whether Preston got his information from someone within the organization. Possibly to prepare the fan base for a potential offseason move. Possibly to send a message to Jackson, who has no agent to serve as the buffer between employer and employee.
Whoever the source(s) and whatever the reason(s), Jackson is back from his back contusion, which Harbaugh initially called a “bruise.” If Jackson delivers in a win-or-go-home game against the Steelers to cap the regular season, the noise will largely die down. If they lose, who knows what will happen next?
Ultimately, there’s a good chance the status quo won’t change. A trade for Jackson would require a new team to make the Ravens an offer they’ll accept, and to negotiate with Jackson a contract that will extend beyond 2027.
For his part, Jackson declared on Thursday that he doesn’t want to leave. Via Hensley, Jackson said four different times that he “absolutely” wants to stay.
Whether that absolutely ends the noise will depend largely on whether the Ravens and Jackson can beat the Steelers on Sunday night.
Steelers Clips
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is planning to play against the Steelers in Sunday’s regular-season finale.
Jackson told reporters, “I’m gonna be out there,” during his Thursday press conference.
While Jackson missed last Saturday’s victory over Green Bay with a back contusion, he’s been a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday this week. That backs up the notion that Jackson will start on Sunday.
Jackson added that he’s planning to wear some protective padding for his back for Sunday’s game.
In his 12 starts this season, Jackson has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,311 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s rushed for 340 yards with two TDs, averaging just 5.4 yards per carry.
Also on Baltimore’s injury report, receiver Rashod Bateman (illness) and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (quad) were non-participants for the second straight day.
Tight end Charlie Kolar (nose), fullback Patrick Ricard (ankle), offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee), defensive tackle Taven Bryan (knee), and guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) were upgraded from limited to full.
Linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) remained limited.
With one week remaining in the regular season, the playoff field is almost set, as 12 teams have clinched playoff berths. But the playoff seeds remain in flux. Here’s a list of the teams remaining in contention for each playoff seed, and how they can earn those seeds.
NFC
1. Seahawks or 49ers. The winner of Saturday night’s Seahawks-49ers game in San Francisco will determine who gets the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If the teams tie, the Seahawks will be the No. 1 seed.
2. Bears or Eagles. If the Bears win or the Eagles lose, the Bears are the No. 2 seed. If the Bears lose and the Eagles win, the Eagles are the No. 2 seed.
3. Eagles or Bears. The team that doesn’t get the No. 2 seed gets the No. 3 seed. The Eagles are resting their starters and effectively conceding the No. 2 seed to the Bears and preparing to be the No. 3 seed.
4. Panthers or Buccaneers. If the Panthers beat or tie the Buccaneers on Saturday, the Panthers are the No. 4 seed. If the Panthers lose but the Falcons win on Sunday, the Panthers are also the No. 4 seed. If the Buccaneers win and the Falcons lose or tie, the Buccaneers are the No. 4 seed.
5. 49ers or Seahawks or Rams. If the Seahawks lose on Saturday, they are the No. 5 seed. If the 49ers lose on Saturday and the Rams lose on Sunday, the 49ers are the No. 5 seed. If the 49ers lose on Saturday and the Rams win on Sunday, the Rams are the No. 5 seed.
6. Rams or 49ers. If the Rams lose or the 49ers win, the Rams are the No. 6 seed. If the 49ers lose and the Rams win, the 49ers are the No. 6 seed.
7. Packers. The Packers are the only team that has clinched its playoff seed. The Packers are the No. 7 seed in the NFC regardless of anything that happens in Week 18.
AFC
1. Broncos or Patriots or Jaguars. If the Broncos win or the Patriots and Jaguars both lose, the Broncos are the No. 1 seed.
If the Patriots win and the Broncos lose, the Patriots are the No. 1 seed.
If the Jaguars win and the Broncos and Patriots both lose, the Jaguars are the No. 1 seed.
2. Patriots or Broncos or Jaguars. If the Patriots and Broncos both win, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed. If the Patriots and Jaguars both lose, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed. If the Broncos win and the Jaguars lose, the Patriots are the No. 2 seed regardless of what the Patriots do.
If the Broncos lose, the Patriots win and the Jaguars lose, the Broncos are the No. 2 seed. If the Broncos lose, the Patriots lose and the Jaguars win, the Broncos are the No. 2 seed.
If the Jaguars win, the Broncos lose and the Patriots win, the Jaguars are the No. 2 seed. If the Jaguars win, the Broncos win and the Patriots lose, the Jaguars are the No. 2 seed.
3. Jaguars or Broncos or Patriots or Texans. If the Jaguars, Broncos and Patriots all win, or the Jaguars tie, thie Jaguars are the No. 3 seed. If the Jaguars and Texans both lose, the Jaguars are the No. 3 seed. If the Broncos win, the Patriots win and the Texans lose, the Jaguars are the No. 3 seed regardless of what the Jaguars do.
If the Broncos lose and Patriots and Jaguars both win, the Broncos are the No. 3 seed.
If the Patriots lose and the Jaguars win, the Patriots are the No. 3 seed.
If the Texans win and the Jaguars lose, the Texans are the No. 3 seed.
4. Steelers or Ravens. If the Steelers beat or tie the Ravens on Sunday night, the Steelers are the No. 4 seed. If the Ravens win, the Ravens are the No. 4 seed.
5. Texans or Jaguars or Chargers or Bills. If the Texans and Jaguars both win, the Texans are the No. 5 seed. If the Texans, Chargers and Bills all lose, the Texans are the No. 5 seed. If the Jaguars win and the Chargers and Bills lose, the Texans are the No. 5 seed regardless of what the Texans do.
If the Jaguars lose, the Texans win and the Bills lose, the Texans are the No. 5 seed. (There are also scenarios that see the Jaguars as the 5 seed based on the strength of victory tiebreaker with the Chargers.)
If the Chargers win and the Texans lose, the Chargers are the No. 5 seed. If the Chargers win and the Jaguars lose, the Chargers could also get the No. 5 seed based on clinching the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Jaguars.
If the Bills win, the Chargers lose and either the Texans or Jaguars lose, the Bills are the No. 5 seed.
6. Chargers or Jaguars or Texans or Bills. If the Chargers, Texans and Jaguars all win, the Chargers are the No. 6 seed. If the Chargers and Bills both lose, the Chargers are the No. 6 seed. If the Texans win and the Bills lose, the Chargers are the No. 6 seed regardless of what the Chargers do.
If the Jaguars and Chargers both lose, and the Texans and Bills both win, the Jaguars are the No. 6 seed.
If the Texans lose and either the Bills lose and Chargers win, or the Bills win and Chargers lose, the Texans are the No. 6 seed.
If the Bills win, the Chargers lose and the Texans and Jaguars both win, the Bills are the No. 6 seed. If the Bills win, the Chargers win and the Texans lose, the Bills are the No. 6 seed.
7. Bills or Jaguars or Texans or Chargers. If the Bills lose, the Bills are the No. 7 seed. If the Chargers, Texans and Jaguars all win, the Bills are the No. 7 seed regardless of what the Bills do.
If the Jaguars lose and the Texans, Chargers and Bills all win, the Jaguars can be the No. 7 seed if the Chargers clinch the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Jaguars.
If the Texans lose and the Chargers and Bills both win, the Texans are the No. 7 seed.
If the Chargers lose and the Bills win, the Chargers are the No. 7 seed.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers possibly will play his last game of the season on Sunday night. Whether it’s the last game of his career, the last game of his first year with the Steelers, or his last game with the Steelers before going elsewhere remains to be seen.
In response to the direct question about what he’ll do in 2026, Rodgers officially has nothing to say.
“I don’t really want to get too deep into it, you know?” Rodgers said near the end of his midweek press conference on Wednesday. “Obviously, I’ll talk to my wife. and then, you know, hopefully that’s a decision down the line, but I’m not really going to talk about anything.”
Before that, there were clues about the possibilities he’s been pondering.
The threshold question is whether believes he still has the ability to play, now that he’s 42.
“I hope I can get through this stretch and and feel good physically, so that’s not in the conversation,” Rodgers said.
So if: (1) he still wants to play; and (2) he thinks he still has the physical ability to do it, what will he do?
Option A. Come back for a second year in Pittsburgh. There’s reason to think he has pondered the possibility that 2026 could be even better than 2025.
“You know, anytime you’re in a first-year offense, there’s always some growing pains within the offense,” Rodgers said. “It’s always like you feel like if you had another year, you know, what you could do. And I look at 2019, the way I played in 2019, and then kind of the adjustments we made in the offseason, and then the way I played in 2020, which was just in a whole kind of different level, where I felt like — and I used to tease [Packers coach Matt] LaFleur about this whole time — I was a game manager in 2019, and a game impactor in 2020 and 2021.”
LaFleur, who arrived in Green Bay in 2019, brought a new offense with him. By year two, Rodgers won the first of two straight MVP awards. Could Rodgers be thinking he’ll be dramatically better in a second year in Pittsburgh?
“I think a lot of this is familiarity with the offense and with the guys,” Rodgers added, “and we’ve done the best we could with our conversations and our meeting time, outside the facility, and our meeting time in the facility, but obviously, the more years you get the system with the same guys, the more continuity you have, the better you feel like you can play.”
Option B. Join what would be his fourth team.
“I’m on a one-year deal, so, you know what the situation is,” Rodgers said. “Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. [Not] a lot of options, but there’ll be options I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play. But I’ve enjoyed this experience and everybody in Pittsburgh’s been fantastic to me on and off the field and it’s really what I was hoping for, for this experience, because it’s been even better than I was hoping.”
That opens an interesting door for 2026. What would his options be? He reportedly wanted to play for the Vikings in 2025. Will he be interested again? Will the Vikings be interested this time around?
Other possibilities include: the Jets (not really; just making sure you’re paying attention); the Dolphins (if he’ll take a bargain-basement deal); the Browns; the Ravens (if they end up trading Lamar Jackson, which remains unlikely); the Colts (depending on what happens with Daniel Jones); the Raiders (who didn’t want him in 2025); the Falcons (if they don’t keep Kirk Cousins and if they don’t believe Michael Penix Jr. will be ready to go after ACL surgery); and the Cardinals.
That’s the full universe of possibilities, barring future developments (like, say, a starting quarterback for a playoff team suffering a 12-month injury in the postseason). For his part, Rodgers will want to play for a true contender.
“It’s been a really special year, and we’re playing meaningful football in December and January now, which is what I wanted after the last couple years,” Rodgers said.
The ultimate question, if Rodgers plays, will be whether he thinks the Steelers will contend again in 2026. If they fail to make the playoffs, and if coach Mike Tomlin moves on, that most likely will close the door on a second season with the Steelers.
Whenever Pittsburgh’s playoff run ends (starting with a playoff play-in game in three days), Rodgers’s status for next year will become a significant storyline. Just like it was in 2022. And 2023. And 2025.
The main storyline of Sunday night’s game between the Ravens and Steelers is that the AFC North title is on the line, but it’s not the only one.
When Aaron Rodgers joined the Steelers in the offseason, he said he was pretty sure that the 2025 season would be his final one. Rodgers hasn’t been any more definitive than that, but the prospect is certainly on the minds of those on both sides of Sunday’s matchup.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said this week that he is “fully committed” to making sure Sunday night is not Rodgers’ final time on an NFL field while Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is trying to push things in the other direction.
“That first game we were like, ‘He done turned the clock back,’” Humphrey said, via the team’s website. “He hadn’t been that spot on, but he threw some great passes. He really etched himself into the rivalry well. We have to match that tempo. He’s going to come out there and give his guys great opportunities to get the ball and put it in places where it’s very hard to defend. It doesn’t matter who you’re guarding, who’s out there, you’ve got to be on your p’s and q’s. Great player, but we would definitely like to have his last memory be a negative one.”
Rodgers went 23-of-34 for 284 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 27-22 win in Baltimore in Week 14, so Humphrey and company will have to be a lot better than they were in that game to have a chance of sending Rodgers out on a loss.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson did indeed fully participate in Wednesday’s practice. He is expected to play in Sunday Night Football against the Steelers as he returns from a back injury.
Jackson did not practice last week after injuring his back in the Week 16 loss to New England, with Tyler Huntley starting last Saturday night’s win over Green Bay.
Jackson has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,311 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games, while rushing for 340 yards with two touchdowns.
The Ravens, though, practiced without wide receiver Rashod Bateman (illness), wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (rest) and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (quad).
In 13 games this season, Bateman has 19 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Van Noy has played 14 games and has totaled 18 tackles, two sacks, one interception and four pass breakups.
The team listed defensive tackle Taven Bryan (knee), tight end Charlie Kolar (nose), fullback Patrick Ricard (ankle), linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), offensive guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee) were limited.
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt remained limited as he attempts to return for the Week 18 win-or-go-home game against the Ravens.
Watt returned to practice last week with three consecutive limited sessions, but he did not play against the Browns. He has not played since a Week 14 win over the Ravens.
Watt required surgery Dec. 11 to repair a partially punctured lung that happened during a dry needling treatment a day earlier. He was released from the hospital on Dec. 12.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he is “optimistic” about having Watt for Sunday Night Football this week.
Watt has seven sacks, 18 quarterback hits, two fumble recoveries and an interception this season.
The Steelers have every player at practice, with wide receiver Calvin Austin (hamstring), cornerback Brandin Echols (groin), cornerback James Pierre (calf), linebacker Malik Harrison (knee) and offensive guard Isaac Seumalo (triceps) also limited.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left wrist), wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hand) and long snapper Christian Kuntz (knee) were full participants.
It appears Lamar Jackson is on track to return for the Week 18 matchup against the Steelers.
Jackson was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
Harbaugh added Jackson “looked good” in the session.
“I can’t speak for Lamar or anybody,” Harbaugh said. “But he looked good and I’m optimistic — I’m very optimistic and we’ll see how it plays out the rest of the week.”
Jackson did not practice all last week with the back injury he suffered during Baltimore’s Week 16 loss to New England, with Tyler Huntley starting last Saturday night’s win over Green Bay.
Jackson has dealt with multiple injuries over the course of this season. He’s completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,311 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games this year while rushing for 340 yards with two touchdowns.
Baltimore’s full first injury report of the week will be released later in the day.
Lamar Jackson is on the Ravens’ practice field on Wednesday.
A report on Wednesday morning indicated Jackson was expected to take part in the team’s first on-field work ahead of their Week 18 game against the Steelers and reporters at the open portion of the practice shared pictures of video of Jackson in uniform for the session.
Jackson did not play in Week 17 because of a back contusion and he did not practice at all last week. He has regularly sat out Wednesday practices in the second half of the season, but the win over the Packers last Saturday was the only game he’s missed since returning from a hamstring injury earlier this year.
The team will share his participation level on their injury report later in the day, but being on the field in any capacity is a positive sign about his availability against Pittsburgh.
When the Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, everyone knew it might be the last ride for the now 42-year-old quarterback.
As it stands now, that means if Pittsburgh doesn’t defeat Baltimore on Sunday night to cap the 2025 regular season, it could be the last time Rodgers takes the field as a pro.
Asked about that possibility in his Tuesday press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that he hasn’t really thought of it that way.
“I don’t know that I’ve taken time to ponder that. I’m just committed to making sure that it’s not,” Tomlin said. “He’s certainly been an awesome contributor to our efforts, not only from a talent perspective and an experience perspective, but just his professionalism. His relationship with the game, his love for his teammates, and his willingness to help them grow and get better and gain better understanding each and every day has been cool to be a part of.”
Tomlin added that games like Sunday are “absolutely” one of the reasons the club wanted him in the offseason, along with the calming presence that comes from his extensive experience.
“I think we’ve benefited from that at every step of the journey,” Tomlin said. “His experience and what he’s been able to do for a collective relative to thick moments.”
In 15 games this season, Rodgers has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 3,028 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
