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Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Wednesday that he’s optimistic about signing quarterback Lamar Jackson to a contract extension before his salary cap hit spikes next offseason.

In his final news conference before the Ravens’ Sept. 13 season opener, DeCosta was sparing with details about the team’s most high-profile contract situation. He acknowledged that it’s “a different type of negotiation because it’s a different type of negotiation with Lamar,” who does not have a licensed agent representing him.

DeCosta and Jackson have typically declined to discuss specifics in their contract talks, citing their desire to keep negotiations private. But Jackson’s 2027 cap figure, which is set to skyrocket from $34.4 million in 2026 to an unwieldy $84.3 million, has fueled speculation over his future in Baltimore. If the cap rises, for instance, to $320 million next season, the final year of Jackson’s contract, he would account for over a quarter of the team’s available space.

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“I feel good about it,” DeCosta said of the negotiations. Later, he added: “We would love to get a deal done as soon as possible.”

Jackson, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, has reiterated his desire to remain in Baltimore, where he’s entering his ninth season. But his leverage in negotiations is undeniable. Under the terms of Jackson’s current contract, he cannot be designated with the franchise tag, a mechanism that could keep him under the Ravens’ control for another year at a high cost, nor can he be traded without his consent.

At a January news conference after coach John Harbaugh’s firing, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti applied public pressure on Jackson to finalize a new deal before the NFL’s new league year opened in March. But, without an agreement in place, the Ravens restructured Jackson’s deal to lower his cap hit ahead of the start of free agency.

“We want another window, and Lamar knows that,” Bisciotti said in January. He added: “The urgency of that matters to me because we’ve got free agents, and I don’t want to go into free agency with that hanging over our head. I made that clear to Lamar, and I think he was very appreciative of my stance, and hopefully willing to work with Eric and not get this thing dragged out into April like it was the last time.”

Jackson’s last extension, a record-setting five-year, $260 million deal, came after two-plus years of fraught negotiations. Jackson and DeCosta agreed to the deal in late April 2023, exactly a month after Jackson announced a trade request and just hours before the start of the NFL draft.

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Jackson, who has not been open to in-season negotiations, could also be tempted to wait as the quarterback market develops next offseason. The New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams and Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels will all become eligible for contract extensions in March, and a record-breaking deal could give Jackson a new benchmark in his contract demands. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts’ extension, which he agreed to in mid-April 2023, served as a template for Jackson’s last deal.

The longer Jackson waits, the louder the speculation will get. He’s used to the noise by now. So, too, is DeCosta.

“We’ve dealt with that distraction before,” he said. “There’s only so much we can do, so that’s what I would say on that.”