While Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is widely assumed to be headed toward a contract that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid player of all time, for that to happen, he’ll have to deliver a big season in 2026.
In past years, that’s seemed like a no-brainer. After missing at least 4 games due to injuries in 3 of the past 5 seasons, it shouldn’t seem like that anymore.
The esteem in which Jackson is held among his peers took a slight dip in ESPN’s annual position rankings, where he dropped 1 spot from No. 4 in 2025 to No. 5 in 2026.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen dethroned Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the No. 1 spot. Of the Top 10 quarterbacks, Allen, Mahomes (No. 2), Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (No. 3), and Jackson are the only former NFL MVPs, with Jackson and Mahomes the only 2-time winners.
“Like Joe Burrow, Jackson faces durability concerns, missing at least four games in three of the past five seasons,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 13. “He also frequently misses practice time, both in the offseason and in-season. But he’s been one of the game’s most consistent performers at the position and that should continue.”
Lamar Jackson Lost Key Running Mate in Offseason
Jackson will have to maneuver after losing 1 of his most important teammates in 2026 after 3-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum left for a record-setting 3-year, $81 million free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
From Bleacher Report:“The John Harbaugh era is over, leaving Jackson to adjust to a new system that is being introduced by 30-year-old incoming offensive coordinator Declan Doyle,” Gagnon wrote. “On top of that, he’s lost a Pro Bowl center in Tyler Linderbaum.”
New Coaching Staff Headed for ‘Nightmare Scenario’
Jackson also has a new coaching staff in place after doing his fair share to run off longtime head coach and Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh following the 2026 season.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon thinks that if the Ravens do start to backslide, it will be because of a “nightmare scenario” involving 1st-year head coach and former Ravens defensive assistant Jesse Minter and his young coaching staff, which includes 29-year-old offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
“(The nightmare scenario) is a young coaching staff is slow to get a grip on a veteran franchise, Lamar Jackson again fails to stay healthy and a 32-year-old Derrick Henry officially hits a wall as Baltimore misses the playoffs for a second consecutive season, increasing chatter that the Jackson era could be coming to a close,” Gagnon wrote.
Minter was a defensive assistant under Harbaugh on the Ravens from 2017 to 2020 and has spent the last 5 seasons as a defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt (2021), Michigan (2022-2023), and with the Los Angeles Chargers (2024-2025) under Harbaugh’s brother, Jim Harbaugh, at Michigan and with the Chargers.
Jesse Minter Called ‘Star in the Making’ Before Hire
Minter’s name had been thrown around as a possible replacement for John Harbaugh long before the Super Bowl winner was fired following an 8-9 season in 2025.
“This week I was told that Jesse Minter is a ‘star in the making’ and that ‘he’s more than ready to be a head coach,’ ” The Athletic’s James Palmer wrote on his official X account shortly before Minter was hired in January. “This fits really well for an organization that is searching for their fourth head coach in its 30-year history.”
Minter hired a former Ravens defensive end, Anthony Weaver, as his defensive coordinator.
Doyle spent 2025 in the same role with the Chicago Bears, but the offensive coordinator position was essentially title-only, as head coach Ben Johnson called the plays.
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