Lamar Jackson Could Wait for the 2027 Chiefs Market

The chiefs of the quarterback market may not see Lamar Jackson move yet. 's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that the Baltimore Ravens star could wait until next offseason to chase a new deal, even though Baltimore wants to keep him beyond his current contract timeline.

Lamar Jackson and Baltimore

Jackson would be a free agent in the 2028 offseason as things stand, and there has been no major progress in extension talks with Baltimore. If the Ravens put a great enough offer on the table now, he could still sign this offseason, but the reported lean is toward waiting.

That choice would shift the negotiation from urgency to leverage. Jackson can already point to a contract path that keeps him in Baltimore for the near term, while the Ravens are trying to avoid letting the discussion drift into a later market that could reset the price.

Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels

The pressure point comes in the 2027 offseason, when Drake Maye, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will be eligible for new deals after their third NFL seasons. Fowler wrote that some around the league wonder whether Jackson wants to wait until then to up his value, and that timing could place his next contract against a younger group of quarterbacks entering the same negotiation window.

The market angle is the complication. Jackson is not playing out a short runway to free agency; he is sitting on a 2028 offseason timeline, and Baltimore wants him beyond it. But a 2027 wave of extension talks would give him a fresh comparison set, and that is the window he may be eyeing before he signs again.

2028 Free Agency

For Baltimore, the practical choice is whether to push now with a deal strong enough to end the wait. For Jackson, the bet is that a year of patience could raise the number. If neither side moves before then, the Ravens will still be carrying a quarterback whose free-agency clock points to 2028 while the rest of the league's next market begins to change around him.