All in on Lamar Jackson: Your Move, Mr. Bisciotti

The recent Netflix documentary on Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway (titled simply Elway) was released at an eerie time. The story of Elway – a QB marred by many early postseason failures – has a poignant connection to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Like Elway, Lamar’s playoff futility came under tremendous fire in the prime of his career. Elway was also a one-man army at times, capable of putting on the cape and morphing into Superman at a moment’s notice. He led The Drive. He catapulted incomplete Denver rosters into Super Bowl berths throughout the 80’s. But once he got to the show, he played his worst football. And his teams were eviscerated by more talented NFC foes.

What’s fascinating about Elway’s path is that he faced a breaking point with his head coach, Dan Reeves, and the team’s direction, which was growing stale. While no one has outright said that Lamar doesn’t get along with John Harbaugh, Elway’s rift with Reeves was known, even pre-social media. In the documentary, it was revealed that Elway aired out his frustrations with the offense to a reporter. Behind the scenes, he and Reeves were butting heads. It all came to a head when the Broncos nearly traded Elway to the Washington Redskins, but owner Pat Bowlen stepped in and shut the trade down.

Ultimately, Bowlen decided to let Reeves go, ending a marriage that produced three Super Bowl appearances. It was time for a hard reset. Denver eventually went on to hire Mike Shanahan (after two more failed seasons under Wade Phillips). The rest was history, as Elway finally got over the hump and won two rings, cementing his status as one of the all-time greats.

The similarity in what’s taking place now in Baltimore with Jackson and what happened in Denver years ago with Elway is hard to ignore.

In the social media age, Lamar’s shortcomings have also been under the spotlight. And like Denver, the team has fallen short of expectations. Elway was also labeled a loser his entire career until he won at the end. Frankly, this Baltimore Ravens team hasn’t even made the Super Bowl, like Elway’s teams did. Moreover, there haven’t been too many other examples of Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks in their primes who could use a change in organizational direction.

Last night’s game against Pittsburgh was a reminder though that Lamar isn’t the problem, much like Elway wasn’t either.

Ravens’ top @PFF grades vs. Steelers:

Offense
Lamar Jackson (91.6)
Zay Flowers (81.7)
Roger Rosengarten (75.0)
Derrick Henry (74.2)
Patrick Ricard (70.6)

Defense
Nate Wiggins (83.6)
Dre’Mont Jones (71.9)
Brent Urban (70.6)
Marlon Humphrey (70.3)
Kyle Van Noy (68.6)

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 5, 2026

Jackson was once again spectacular on the big stage against the Steelers. His Houdini escape where he split two would-be sackers to lead Zay Flowers on a bomb was sandlot stuff. His second touchdown to Flowers on a fake pitch 3rd down conversion was another beauty. He reminded everyone, in an injury-ravaged season, just how much of a unicorn he is.

And then he orchestrated his own mini, mini version of The Drive to give the team a chance to kick the game-winning field goal – only for it to sail wide right. He had The Drive in his bag last year, only for Mark Andrews to drop a two-point conversion.

The AFC North showdown further highlighted what Lamar means to this team. Amidst absurd trade talk and questions of his commitment to the organization, they simply need to keep doubling down on their commitment to him. He’s the guy who can get them to the promised land.

However, a hard reset is probably what the doctor ordered for everyone involved. While Lamar may get along better with Harbaugh than Elway did with Reeves, that doesn’t mean it’s the right partnership. The losses are piling up year after year and the team continues to find ways to collapse or botch plays in big games, often in unprecedented, historic ways. It’s been especially pronounced the last three seasons, which all ended in a similar fashion. Key mistakes in critical moments, turnovers or penalties to kill drives, defensive collapses and players seeming rattled instead of clutch.

When the team is at the negotiating table with Jackson yet again, looking to extend his contract to shrink his massive $74.5 million cap hits for 2026 and 2027, they’ll need to have checked every box, including the coaching staff. This is a natural fork in the road when it comes to Harbaugh and where the team should go. Much of this decision comes back to what’s best for Jackson’s future. If you do lock him up to an extension, shouldn’t it include giving him the best shot possible?

When the Broncos went with Shanahan to coach Elway, they elevated their coaching and competitive edge. It was such a tactical advantage. And Shanahan built around Elway as the QB got older so the weight of the offense wasn’t on his shoulders.

Lamar simply doesn’t have the X’s and O’s edge with Harbaugh and these coordinators. The coaching has been subpar for years now. With the attrition that the staff has seen over the years (and with more rumored to be coming), it’s only gotten worse.

It is clear as day that Lamar is the team’s meal ticket to another championship. There’s still time for multiple rings. He’ll turn 29 in two days. Elway was 33 when Denver fired Reeves.

Yet the clock keeps ticking. Owner Steve Bisciotti can stay loyal and preach continuity all he wants. However, in today’s landscape, that’s just not enough to seize this golden opportunity they have to win at the highest level with this generational QB. The flip side of standing pat is what the Eagles have done twice over, not being afraid to fire their head coaches, and cashing in on Super Bowl windows.

Like his predecessor Bowlen did for Elway, it’s time for Bisciotti do the same for Lamar. If you’re all in on Lamar (which he should be), you should be all in on a clean sweep of the staff.

Or this team could be doomed to repeat the same failures, as their Super Bowl window shrinks with each passing year.

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