Lamar Jackson has challenged every team that has faced the Baltimore Ravens over the past nine years. Now, he may be the biggest challenge facing the franchise since it moved to Baltimore in 1996.
Jackson needs surgery to repair the injured thumb on his throwing hand, hurt Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. Coach Jesse Minter said the quarterback will go on injured reserve, and that his injury could keep him out for the rest of the season.
Oddly enough, that may be the least troubling part of the situation.
The larger concern is that the Ravens could lose a generational player. Since arriving in 2018, Jackson has helped turn a solid team into a playoff contender whenever he has been healthy enough to play.
It’s possible he has already played his final game in Baltimore.
Jackson’s recurring injury problems, combined with a complicated contract and salary-cap picture in 2027, could lead the Ravens to part ways with him next offseason.
The team will have to decide whether to pay a 30-year-old quarterback who has missed time with injuries, but remains a difference-maker when healthy. Or they could try to trade him—with his approval, since he has a no-trade clause—to a team he chooses. That team would presumably be looking for an immediate boost.
Miami, his hometown team, is one possibility that comes to mind.
It’s unusual for a two-time MVP to become a problem a team has to solve rather than a key part of its plans. But this situation will likely come down to business and finances, not sentiment.
Jackson is set to count $84.34 million against the salary cap next season. The Ravens are already projected to be $45.9 million over the cap, so that figure is difficult to manage.
If Jackson were healthy, playing at his usual level and expected to keep doing so, the team could work out an extension that lowers his cap hit while giving him a substantial amount of new money.
But the Ravens may not see things that way now. The extent of their concern after an injury that could keep him out for a significant stretch is unclear. Still, they may think twice about paying him as though this season-ending setback never happened.
The Ravens and Jackson have been through a difficult contract negotiation before. Their talks stretched through a tense 2023 offseason before they agreed to a $230 million deal.
Jackson is likely to seek another extension next offseason rather than play on an expiring contract. That’s not usually how NFL teams handle business, especially with a franchise quarterback. And he is expected to pursue a deal that makes him the league’s highest-paid player.
That could be a lot for Baltimore to take on, especially after a season that began with promise and has since become uncertain.
Colts coach Shane Steichen clarified Monday that he had reviewed the game film and still believed Daniel Jones gave Indianapolis its best chance to win. His earlier comments, made after the team’s heavy loss to Jacksonville, had raised questions about whether Jones might be benched.
“Evaluating the tape, looking back at it, some things he could do better, some things that we need to help him with moving forward,” Steichen said. “But I do feel that Daniel gives the best chance to win right now.”
That may be true for next week. But if the Colts, who have traded away Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, don’t at least explore moving Jones before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, they could be missing an opportunity.
Indianapolis is no longer in serious contention, so whether Jones improves the team’s chances next weekend may not matter much. The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, could be interested in a quarterback who might help them reach the playoffs—or make a deeper run.
The Colts could call Minnesota about a trade and reunite Jones with the coaching staff that wanted him back in 2025, after he spent part of the previous season at the team’s facility.
The Vikings could use help at quarterback. Kyler Murray is dealing with a sore hamstring, has already suffered a concussion this season, and hasn’t been especially effective when healthy.
A fourth- or fifth-round pick might be enough for Minnesota to bring Jones in. Indianapolis, meanwhile, could use that kind of pick to help build for the future. Jones is unlikely to still be with the Colts in 2028 or 2029.
Arizona made a change at quarterback Monday, moving from Jacoby Brissett to Gardner Minshew. Minshew threw three touchdown passes in a comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Coach Mike LaFleur not only benched Brissett but also made him the team’s emergency third quarterback, behind Minshew and rookie Carson Beck.
That leaves Brissett as a surplus player, and the Cardinals could consider fielding calls—or reaching out to other teams—before the trade deadline. They may be able to get something in return while giving him a chance to play a more meaningful role elsewhere.
Brissett has served his purpose in Arizona. It may be time for the team to move on.
