The Baltimore Ravens’ season came to a screeching halt on Sunday night, when rookie Tyler Loop missed a go-ahead field goal as time expired that would’ve crowned the Ravens as the AFC North champions.
Instead, the loss means that it’s time for the Ravens to clear out their lockers and finish the season. After the game, star quarterback Lamar Jackson was asked about the future of head coach John Harbaugh, and he largely dodged the question.
“We just lost a game, a divisional game, a game to put us in the playoffs,” Jackson said, according to Pro Football Talk. “I’m not even thinking about that right now, to be honest with you. I’m still caught up in what just happened. That’s not my focus right now.”
The quarterback deflected again after being asked directly if he wanted Harbaugh back.
“You’re asking me about next year,” Jackson said. “I’m so caught up in what just happened tonight, I can’t focus on that right now. I just told you. I’m stunned right now. I’m still trying to process what’s going on.”
It’s worth noting that Jackson himself is almost certainly going to be with the Ravens next season despite missing the playoffs this year. This comes after he tried to test the market, but there was shockingly little interest around the league in signing the two-time MVP, leading to him agreeing to a new deal with the Ravens that didn’t meet the guaranteed money he was initially looking for.
In January of 2025, a grievance from the NFL Players Association regarding fully guaranteed contracts for prominent veteran quarterbacks was resolved, largely under the radar, with an arbitrator filing a 61-page written ruling.
Even with the lack of national coverage, Pro Football Talk discovered that the arbitrator did in fact rule that the league did in fact encourage teams not to do fully guaranteed contracts, although the evidence connected to the quarterbacks central to the case, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray, wasn’t strong enough to trigger damages.
It’s interesting to imagine how different the landscape of the league and roster building would’ve been had Jackson gotten a fully guaranteed contract, whether from the Ravens or another organization. As it is, the two-time MVP is almost certain to suit up for the Ravens again next year, despite multiple reports throughout the season that he isn’t thrilled with the organization (that he largely denied), though it remains to be seen if Harbaugh will be returning as his head coach.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.