Lamar Jackson‘s return from ankle injury lasted just one snap. On Baltimore Ravens‘ first offensive play in Sunday’s 36-10 loss at Buffalo, his right hand hit Bills pass rusher Gregory Rousseau, and he injured his thumb.
Head coach Jesse Minter said the thumb injury needs surgery and will send Jackson to injured reserve. Minter called it “potentially” season-ending.
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That is the backdrop Nick Wright used for his Take of the Day on FS1’s First Things First, where the panel discussed what another lost season means for the Ravens. Wright went straight back to April 2025, and to the quarterback Baltimore nearly drafted.
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“If Shedeur had just let the Ravens draft him the way they wanted to, he would’ve gotten to play last year, he might be their starting QB for the bulk of this year, and instead, he never gets to play.”
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in September 2025 that Baltimore planned to take Sanders at No. 141. Before the Ravens could turn in the card, Sanders let them know he did not want to sit behind Jackson. Baltimore took tackle Carson Vinson instead, and Cleveland drafted Sanders three picks later.
Deion Sanders confirmed that account on the “New Heights” podcast, recalling a call with former Ravens executive Ozzie Newsome and asking how anyone could fault his son for thinking, “Why in the world would I go back up Lamar for 10 more years?” Shedeur has never confirmed the sequence himself, saying only that he was focused on the now.
Sanders has played, but just not the way Wright describes it. He started seven games as a rookie for a 5-12 Browns team. He’s currently Deshaun Watson’s backup heading into Week 9.
Baltimore’s quarterback room, meanwhile, has thinned out badly: Tyler Huntley has a toe injury, and the Ravens signed Austin Reed on Monday as insurance behind Joe Fagnano, who threw for 91 yards with an interception against the Bills.
Eric Mangini puts the Ravens’ problems on Lamar Jackson’s contract
Eric Mangini, the former New York Jets coach, is less interested in the what-if than in the bill coming due. Jackson has missed games in four of the last six seasons, a pattern Mangini called consistent, and in his view the contract makes every comeback decision harder than it should be.
“And you’re going into the final year of his contract. And I think the contract played a role to some degree this year and to some degree last year in terms of whether you’re coming back and whether or not you’re going to rush to come back or not,” Mangini said.
Then he got to the number that shapes Baltimore’s offseason. Jackson’s cap hit climbs to $84 million next season, a figure also reported by CBS Sports, and Mangini expects the Ravens to be roughly $40 million over the projected cap when the new league year opens.
“So even if they do that, all you’re getting is a more expensive Lamar,” he said, meaning the savings would have to come out of the rest of the roster.
His verdict on the season was blunt: “I have been very disappointed.”
Baltimore (4-4) hosts Jacksonville (5-2) on Thursday night, with Fagnano, who is managing an ankle injury, still not confirmed as the starter.
Edited by Santosh Kumar
