INDIANAPOLIS -- Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday he's "definitely" confident that a contract extension can be reached with two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson.
In addition, DeCosta indicated the Ravens have made a "market-setting" proposal to Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who is considered one of the top available players in free agency.
Jackson is set to count $74.5 million against the salary cap this season -- the second highest in the NFL. The Ravens would likely need to reach a new deal with Jackson or restructure his contract by the start of the league year on March 11, so they can gain more cap space for free agency.
"Lamar and I have an agreement [that] we handle business kind of in-house internally," DeCosta said at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday. "That worked well for us the last time and we will continue to have that policy moving forward. I have spoken to Lamar about a lot of different things over the last month. He's been very engaged. ... We'll continue those conversations moving forward."
Jackson, 29, is under contract for two more seasons. With a new deal, the Ravens would likely create $30 million in cap space and keep Jackson under contract for another three to four years.
If the sides can't reach an extension by next month, owner Steve Bisciotti previously said the team would restructure Jackson's contract, which would not be optimal. By converting a large portion of Jackson's $51.2 million salary into a signing bonus, Baltimore can create the needed cap room but it would increase Jackson's cap number in 2027, which is the final year of his deal.
When Jackson signed his last contract with Baltimore, he became the NFL's highest-paid player at $52 million per season. Now, he currently ranks 10th among quarterbacks in average annual pay, with the Cowboys' Dak Prescott leading the way at $60 million per season.
"I think we never have as much cap room as we'd like to have, but we feel like we can start at the beginning of the new league year and conduct business," DeCosta when asked if Jackson's situation is the big domino to the Ravens' offseason.
In addition to Jackson, Baltimore is also trying to get a new deal completed with Linderbaum before free agency. DeCosta said the Ravens would not put the franchise tag on him.
Linderbaum, 25, is the Ravens' first offensive lineman to go to three consecutive Pro Bowls since Marshal Yanda went to six straight from 2011 to 2016. The Ravens decided not to pick up his fifth-year option last year because it would have cost $23.4 million, which was $5.4 million more than the NFL's highest-paid center at the time in terms of average per year.
"He's proven to be, in my opinion, the best center in the league," DeCosta said. "We've had conversations since the end of the season, and at this point in time, we've made him a market-setting offer."
Kansas City's Creed Humphrey currently leads all NFL centers with $18 million per season.