Lamar Jackson continues to be mentioned in trade scenarios, but those scenarios were shot down by a report on the Baltimore Ravens entering contract negotiations.
When John Harbaugh was fired, the Baltimore Ravens sent out a clear message, which was to move past their mediocre 8-9 season and their inability to make the Super Bowl.
A major reason for the Ravens' success has been due to the play of Lamar Jackson, despite his injury strugglesin 2025. Still, Jackson has come up in trade conversations for months, which have now taken a hit due to a new report.
When Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Eric DeCosta joined forces to address the media and public about the head coaching search, Bisciotti indicated that Jackson would be a major component of the head coaching search.
DeCosta even indicated that an extension was set to take place before free agency, so the team would have the cap space needed to go after some "big ticket" items in terms of free agents.
Those details should have quelled rumors of a trade, but still, Jackson emerged as a potential blockbuster trade chip for a team like the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, NFL insiders have reported that the Ravens are set to enter negotiations with Jackson.
"No. Not feeling that. In fact, let's turn our attention to a potential contract extension. The Ravens have talked about this. It is a $74.5 million cap hit for Lamar Jackson this season. They've got to figure out a way to lower that, smooth that over, and also give themselves another window here to potentially compete with Lamar," Garafolo said.
"I mentioned the trade speculation; forget about that because Lamar Jackson was part of the head coaching process. He was on the virtual interviews with coaching candidates. He was consulted for the offensive coordinator job, which went to Declan Doyle. Steve Bisciotti, the owner, loves him. All that up and folks will be flabbergasted if the Ravens potentially move on from Lamar Jackson," Garafolo added.
Simply put, there is no way the Ravens would consider trading the two-time MVP. Jackson remains the focal point for the Baltimore organization, and he has been a major reason for the team's success.
Granted, the Ravens hired Jesse Minter, and the belief is they will be a more defense-forward team. That still does not mean the offense will be an afterthought.
In fact, the Ravens have needed the defense to be on par with the offense, and that return to balance should make the team another force in the AFC.
The Ravens have been competitive for multiple seasons, with the 2025 season being an outlier.
Jackson is the most important player on the Ravens, and trading him is something nobody should believe would happen.