Kyle Van Noy dropped a random comment on Lamar Jackson's contract, but is there anything to what he said?
Baltimore Ravens free agent linebacker Kyle Van Noy joined "The Kay Adams Show" to discuss his current unsigned status and his chances of a reunion. However, among his comments was something a bit strange regarding Lamar Jackson.
Van Noy was speaking about capitalizing on joining the Ravens again due to the current roster, but he may have let it slip that there could be some issues regarding Jackson and his contract.
Jackson and the organization did not hammer out a multi-year deal this offseason, but there was a restructure that took place. Though it is highly speculative to believe that the Ravens and the quarterback are headed for a split, plenty of reports and rumors have pointed to that fact.
While speaking on the team's current window to go "all in," Van Noy also seemingly confirmed that there could be some trouble brewing behind the scenes regarding Jackson's contract.
"We choked to the Chiefs and then the year before we blew it against Buffalo. And then last year was a disaster. And you know, it would just be, you know, I know they're going to try to go for it because this might be, you know, Lamar's, you know, his situation with his contract. It might be, who knows what they got going on with that. So, I think they should go all in again. And, you know, I want to be a part of that," Van Noy said.
Now, Van Noy did not state anything or confirm that there are issues with Jackson and the Ravens, but he may have let it slip that there could be some issues with his contract, or possibly there could be an instance of him not wanting a multi-year deal.
Is there any value to the idea that Jackson is unhappy? Let's break this down a bit.
For starters, Van Noy's opening comments on the struggles the team has had in the playoffs are well known. The Ravens have had multiple issues beating the upper echelon AFC teams, that includes the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
The 2025 season was also a disaster, as the linebacker put it. Injuries were rampant and everything fell off the rails quickly. As a result, longtime head coach John Harbaugh was fired, leading to a major overhaul for the Ravens.
Despite Harbaugh being one of the best and most respected head coaches in the league, failing to get Baltimore over the hump cost him his job. The next person in line could be general manager Eric DeCosta, who has had plenty of controversy this offseason.
It began with the failed trade for Maxx Crosby, who was brought over for two first-round picks, and then sent away due to a failed physical. Perennial edge rusher Trey Hendrickson was then brought in to aid the pass rush and mitigate the loss of Crosby.
While this does not outright impact Jackson in an offensive sense, the decisions as an organization and where it is heading certainly do. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was emphatic about the MVP quarterback being the focal point of the team, so any decisions that impact the team's ability to win will be judged harshly.
Even worse for DeCosta is that center Tyler Linderbaum hit the open market and signed a $27 million a year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, which heavily impacts Jackson.
The offensive line issues have been a major pain point, and Linderbaum, alongside Ronnie Stanley, were the two carrying the line in a big way. Now, Jackson does not have his center, and the issue has not been sorted out at all.
Head coach Jesse Minter and DeCosta have stated that more free agents or a trade for a center is a strong possibility, but the team is running out of time to ensure they have someone solid in the building.
Simply put, Jackson could view the center issue as a major one, as his job is dependent on that position being as strong as it could possibly be. The Ravens not addressing it may give the quarterback pause in wanting a long-term deal, simply due to his not feeling valued enough with these roster decisions.
Again, this is all speculative, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that Jackson is considering a future with another team due to the decisions made by DeCosta and the organization as a whole. Time will tell if any of this is true, and the Ravens ability to navigate their adversity and issues will be very telling once the 2026 season wraps up.