Ravens Will Reload, Not Rebuild, Regardless of Lamar Jackson's Future

The Ravens plan to go into the 2023 season as playoff contenders and not as a team in transition regardless of Lamar Jackson's future with the franchise.

OWINGS MILL, Md, — The Ravens face an uncertain future because of the murky contract situation with Lamar Jackson. 

The team is trying to negotiate a long-term deal with the talented quarterback but the two sides have been at an impasse.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is likely going to place the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, which will cost them about $45 million for this upcoming season. 

That price tag will also affect the team's activity in free agency. The Ravens could save a lot of money and get back some valuable capital if they decide to tag-and-trade Jackson.

However, the Ravens plan to go into the 2023 season as playoff contenders and not as a team in transition regardless of what happens with Jackson. 

DeCosta walks a fine line between keeping the team competitive and building a strong foundation for the future.

"Our goal is to be a really competitive, strong team every single year," DeCosta said. "And [coach] John [Harbaugh] jokes with me all the time; he doesn’t really have any interest, at this stage of his coaching career, being in a total rebuild and what that entails, and I really don’t either. Our goal is to always have that window open when we can compete to win the whole thing. So, I think we’ve made a lot of good decisions with the cap over the last four years. I’m excited to see where we are this year."

The Raven's biggest need is at wide receiver. They need a playmaker that can take the top off a secondary and change the dynamic of the entire offense.

However, DeCosta will be prudent with how they spend money regardless of the outcome with Jackson. 

“I know what the fans would like," DeCosta said about adding a wide receiver in free agency. "As we look at it, honestly, when you have a big-ticket item at quarterback, it makes it more challenging – not impossible. We’ll have to get creative, and there are things we can do. There are a lot of different ways to go about constructing the team and finding players and affording players and various things like that. But we’ve got to be really creative."

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