The Baltimore Ravens will have some long, hard conversations about their collective future as a franchise this week, with the main topics being whether their time with head coach John Harbaugh and/or quarterback and 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson has come to an end.
While the conversation about Harbaugh will likely lead to an amicable parting — if they part ways — things with Jackson could be much messier and much more complicated.
Depending how Jackson treats his no-trade clause, things could go a little more smoothly. The Las Vegas Raiders already seem like a leading candidate to land Jackson — and deliver him a huge payday — if he does waive the no trade.
One deal that could make all sides happy might be sending NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft to the Ravens in exchange for Jackson, who would be more likely to approve a trade to a team which commits to signing him to a long-term contract extension
For the Raiders, it would solve the biggest problem they have as a franchise — that it seems like they’re simply not trying to win. For the Ravens, it would solve their 2 biggest problems — lack of an edge rusher and a lack of a quarterback, who they could either draft with the No. 1 overall pick obtained from the Raiders.
Who says “No” first?
Jackson Keeps Losing & Seems Miserable
The Ravens saw their season end in dramatic fashion in a Week 18, winner-take-all game against their hated AFC North Division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers — a 26-24 loss that ended with a 44-yard missed field goal by rookie kicker Tyler Loop.
After the game, in which Jackson seemed to finally tap into some of his past brilliance, he was asked if he still wanted to play for Harbaugh. The answer was telling.
“You asking me about next year, Jamison, and I’m still caught up in what just happened tonight,” Jackson said in a video posted to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley’s X account. “I can’t answer that right now. I’m still stunned. I’m still trying to process what just happened.”
Raiders, Jackson Could Be Perfect Together
Fox Sports NFL reporter Eric Williams laid out the ins and outs of any possible trade to the Raiders, who fired head coach Pete Carroll after one season on Black Monday.
“Another important decision will be deciding on a quarterback for 2026 after a trade for Geno Smith fizzled this year,” Williams wrote. “And with uncertainty in Baltimore about Lamar Jackson’s future with that franchise, Las Vegas is a potential landing spot for the two-time NFL MVP, and he could make sense for the Raiders financially, according to a league source I spoke with. Jackson does not have an agent and negotiates his own deals. He and the Ravens went through a contentious contract negotiation that included Jackson asking for a trade before consummating a five-year, $260 million deal in April 2023.”
