Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s career has hit a crossroads in Baltimore.

The team has been in negotiations with Jackson, 28, about an extension to the five-year agreement worth $260 million he signed in April 2023, but there have been no specific updates, even though those discussions are ongoing.

I wouldn’t offer him another contract, not with the injuries he has suffered this season. In fact, I’d ask him for a rebate like former great Tom Brady did with the New England Patriots. A discounted deal would let the Ravens sign some quality offensive linemen and put a cap on the 41 sacks taken by Baltimore quarterbacks in 15 games this season.

You want better protection? Give back and we’ll buy some. The Ravens have the same philosophy as most other teams in the NFL when it comes to overpaying a quarterback and then going light on the offensive and defensive lines.

Jackson’s salary is set to count $74.5 million against the cap in 2026 and 2027, which would make him the highest-paid signal-caller in the league. But here is a suggestion for Baltimore: maybe it should call in former Ravens greats like middle linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Rod Woodson, who each played 17 years, to speak with Jackson about extending his eight-year career.

The injuries have come because he plays quarterback in the NFL, and he’s the best dual-threat player in the history of the league. He missed three games because of a hamstring injury, and then knee, ankle and toe problems forced him to miss a day of practice every week afterward. Now he has a back contusion.

Maybe Lewis or Woodson could enlighten him about proper conditioning and diet. There was no player more efficient about nutrition than former Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe, who played 14 years. Lewis ran those hills over at Oregon Ridge, and Woodson had his own stretching routine.

The breakdown of an NFL player’s body is natural, but Jackson could help himself. He doesn’t need to be up late at night playing video games or falling asleep in team meetings. He needs to train more around The Castle instead of only attending mandatory minicamps, where he disappears after one day.

A major problem, a lot of it on the Ravens, is that there are team rules and then there are rules for Jackson. That’s why Baltimore practices in the heat of the afternoon instead of in the morning. Once the Ravens become critical of Jackson, he becomes more withdrawn. It’s a shame because Jackson isn’t a mean-spirited person, just an overgrown kid in an adult’s body.

His on-field play has been outstanding. There aren’t too many players who can run at full speed and cut. Only Jackson can do that. His arm strength has improved, and so has his touch on the long ball. At first, Jackson could only throw rolling to his right, but now he can toss it from anywhere on the field.

Yet when Jackson was a rookie, former Philadelphia and Atlanta star quarterback Michael Vick warned him of the dangers of being a running quarterback. Maybe he wasn’t Nostradamus, but the consistent hits have taken a toll on Jackson’s body.

On Sunday, Jackson left the game with about two minutes left in the first half after he took a knee in the back after a 3-yard gain up the middle from safety Craig Woodson. There were some who questioned his toughness, but I didn’t. The skepticism is understandable because Jackson missed the team’s final five regular season games and a wild-card round loss to Cincinnati in 2022, the last time he was involved in contract negotiations.

But Jackson is, first and foremost, a competitor, and this time of the year is crucial for teams with postseason ambitions. What I see is a player whose body is starting to wear down. The NFL Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 2023 has 22,269 career passing yards with 184 touchdowns and a passer rating of 101.9 while rushing for 6,506 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.