The 2026 NFL season is around the corner, and that means time is ticking for NFL stars who’ve yet to find postseason success.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the league and certainly one of the most athletic at his position. However, with his lack of playoff success, could his time in Baltimore be winding down?
Mel Kiper Jr. Says Lamar Jackson Needs A Good Playoff Run
Jackson will be entering his ninth year in the NFL in 2026, and he has just three playoff wins. According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, the Ravens star finished last season as the 12th-ranked quarterback in the league with an impact score of 79.4.
The Louisville product is a three-time All-Pro, two-time MVP, and has made four Pro Bowls. However, the Ravens have made the playoffs in six of their eight seasons with him, and they have yet to win the AFC.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. is confident Jackson needs a successful playoff run in 2026 with new head coach Jesse Minter to remain with the Ravens going forward.
“If this season doesn’t unfold and doesn’t work out the way they had hoped, which is playoffs, Super Bowl,” Kiper said on “Unsportsmanlike.” “And Lamar (Jackson) doesn’t get to the playoffs and play well, which he hasn’t in his career, in the playoffs, hasn’t gone his way, then I think they’re gonna start looking.”
“Next year is the year,” Kiper added. “Guess what? They’ve had pretty good success with quarterbacks that didn’t go top 15. Joe Flacco didn’t, worked out pretty good, (they) won a Super Bowl,” Kiper said. “Think about Lamar. Lamar went 32, they traded back in after they had drafted Hayden Hurst. They got Lamar at 32, almost got to Day 2, that worked out pretty good, right?
If Lamar doesn’t have the season that he needs to, the Baltimore Ravens are drafting a QB in the first round in 2027 – mark it down, put it in pen. @MelKiperESPN | @EvCoRadio https://t.co/JZUqQLxt0x pic.twitter.com/NtJKPRJrK2
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE (@UnSportsESPN) April 10, 2026
 “Even though Lamar hasn’t won a Super Bowl, hasn’t been very good in the playoffs; that’s what he needs to do,” Kiper continued. “He needs to play good in the playoffs and get this team to a Super Bowl, and have the kind of year we expect Lamar to have.”
“I’m not saying Lamar can’t, Lamar needs to,” Kiper added. “If he doesn’t, and there’s an injury or he doesn’t get it done, then they’re drafting a quarterback in the first round of 2027. Mark it down, put it in pen.”
Jackson has quite the accolades for a veteran quarterback, but Kiper believes his lack of postseason success could force him out of Baltimore if it doesn’t change fast.
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The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, and Jackson have been the trio that’s basically run the AFC for the last five years.
Now, with the emergence of the New England Patriots with Drake Maye, the Denver Broncos with Sean Payton and Bo Nix, and the Los Angeles Chargers gaining momentum with Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh, time is running out for Jackson to do something in the postseason.
