Baltimore Ravens Could Be Facing a Future Without Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens can likely start their preparation for the offseason.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson needs surgery on the broken thumb that was injured in his first series in action against the Buffalo Bills. Backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley suffered a season-ending turf toe injury in that blowout loss, too.

Undrafted free agent quarterback Joe Fagnano, who played much of Baltimore’s preseason, will be the starter for the Ravens. Former undrafted quarterback Austin Reed was signed to the practice squad and the Ravens signed Kedon Slovis from the Green Bay Packers practice squad as another option.

At 4-4, the Ravens are in the basement of the AFC North.

It’s an improved division, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals both looked primed for playoff pushes.

The Ravens have lost three games in a row. Their next opponent is the scorching hot Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. Kalshi, a popular prediction market that allows users to buy and sell contracts of real-world events like the NFL, currently gives the Ravens a 19% chance of winning that game.

John Harbaugh coached the Ravens for 18 seasons and finished under .500 just three times. There’s a real world where Jesse Minter could finish below .500 in his first season as Baltimore’s head coach.

And unless the bottom of the bag completely falls out, that doesn’t mean that the Ravens are firing their first-time coach after one season.

But they could lose Jackson, and that would devastate the organization.

Even though the Ravens have a respectable defense, Jackson and Derrick Henry are the engine behind everything that Baltimore accomplishes.

Their ability to run the football allows the Ravens to control the time of possession. Jackson’s developed arm gives the Ravens a timely passing attack.

Jackson is a free agent in 2028. There’s no way that he’d be willing to play on the final year of his contract without any sort of security or cushion. The Ravens put themselves in this position when they weren’t able to extend Jackson this offseason. But maybe they’re okay with a change, as his injury history is stacking up, and he’s not getting any younger.

The Ravens will undoubtedly hear trade interest for Jackson, who is no stranger to awkward contract situations. With the 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class underwhelming, teams could entire Baltimore to move on from their two-time MVP.

Where would that leave the Ravens?

Fagnano is a complete unknown. But one certainty is that he isn’t as athletic as Jackson, and that’ll be on display against the Jaguars.

Another certainty is that he probably won’t be Baltimore’s long-term answer at quarterback.

But who is? That’s completely unknown at this point.