Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson to Undergo Thumb Surgery, Headed to Injured Reserve

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will undergo surgery and land on injured reserve after suffering a right thumb injury during Sunday’s 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The two-time MVP sustained the injury on his first offensive snap of the 2026 matchup when his throwing hand collided with Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau.[1][2][5]

Jackson immediately grabbed his hand and retreated to the locker room before returning to the sideline with his thumb in a splint. Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed the severity of the damage following the game, acknowledging that the franchise cornerstone will miss a minimum of four weeks and potentially the remainder of the season.[1][2]

“That'll be a surgery deal. He'll go to injured reserve,” Minter told reporters. “It's tough. But you know, there's no testimony without a test. And so we'll do everything in our power to keep rolling, to keep this thing going.”[1]

The injury wave rapidly depleted Baltimore’s depth chart. Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson but suffered a toe injury in the second quarter, forcing undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano into his NFL debut. Fagnano finished the afternoon completing 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards and a single interception.[1][2][5]

Jackson’s brief appearance in Buffalo was supposed to stabilize a struggling offense. He had just missed three consecutive games with an ankle injury, a stretch where the Ravens went 1-2 and saw their offensive production plummet. Without Jackson on the field, Baltimore has historically struggled to maintain its rushing efficiency.[1][2]

“It's very tough when you have a warrior like Jackson go down,” Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith said. “Circumstances are not the way we would like things to be when you lose the best quarterback in the NFL, in my opinion, when healthy. But this game don't care who you are.”[1]

The cascading injuries leave the 4-4 Ravens searching for immediate answers on a short week. Baltimore hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, likely requiring the front office to sign an emergency veteran quarterback to back up Fagnano if Huntley cannot clear medical protocols in time.[1][2]

AI

Beyond the immediate schedule, the thumb surgery casts a shadow over Jackson’s long-term future in Baltimore. Analysts note that the quarterback operates with an $85 million salary cap hit and a no-trade clause heading into 2027, complicating the front office’s ability to rebuild an aging roster around him.[4]

Minter emphasized that the coaching staff must prevent the locker room from fracturing during the crisis. The first-year head coach, who replaced John Harbaugh, faces the steepest challenge of his tenure as he attempts to salvage a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations.[1]

“It's definitely my job to make sure that we stay together, that we don't point fingers, that we have each other's back, that we believe in the next man up mentality,” Minter said. “We've got to really pour into that belief in the guys we have, and move forward.”[1]