OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he remains “optimistic” that he’ll be able to reach a new deal with star quarterback Lamar Jackson before the new league year in March.“I feel good about it,” DeCosta said during a 30-plus-minute news conference Wednesday at the Under Armour Performance Center.DeCosta declined to provide any details about the negotiations or confirm whether there are even ongoing talks at a time when Jackson’s contract status is expected to be one of the bigger stories in the NFL over the coming months.Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti stated earlier in the offseason that extending Jackson’s contract was an organizational priority. However, the Ravens and Jackson couldn’t reach a deal before free agency, so they restructured his contract to give the team breathing room under the salary cap.Ravens did not address concerns about kicker position this offseasonJeff ZrebiecJackson’s cap number next year in the final year of his contract will be $84 million, which would make it nearly impossible for DeCosta to build a playoff-caliber roster around the quarterback. Complicating the situation is that Jackson cannot be franchise tagged or traded without his consent, per stipulations in his current contract.If the two sides still haven’t reached agreement before March, the Ravens could have a significant decision to make.“I really don’t like to get into the details,” DeCosta said. “I’m not going to talk about it specifically. I think Lamar and I have a pact, as you all know. I’ve said it probably 50 times. We’re not going to talk about business publicly. It’s a different type of negotiation because it’s a different type of negotiation with Lamar.”Jackson doesn’t have an agent and represents himself in talks. With the Ravens a little more than a week away from starting the regular season on Sept. 13 against the Indianapolis Colts, that would seemingly leave the Ravens and Jackson a very small window if they want to hammer out the deal before the road game.DeCosta didn’t say whether talks would be tabled once the season begins.“We’ve been in this position before,” DeCosta said, referencing the challenges the sides faced before agreeing to a five-year, $260 million deal with Jackson in April 2023. “It’s just communication. Lamar and I have a great relationship. We talk. That’s what it really amounts to, communication.”This is a key season for Jackson, the two-time league MVP. He’s coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season, arguably the most disappointing of his career. Longtime Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was fired after the season, and team officials put a premium on hiring a staff that could elevate Jackson’s game back to an MVP level.By all accounts, Jackson has bought in and has developed a strong early rapport with new coach Jesse Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Jackson’s timetable to get a contract extension, however, is not clear.He’s long said that he wants to stay with the Ravens, but he has declined to discuss the status of the negotiations any time he’s been asked. DeCosta, meanwhile, made it clear Wednesday where the Ravens stand.“We would love to get a deal done as soon as possible,” he said.Other notes• DeCosta acknowledged that the team was “disappointed” with wide receiver Rashod Bateman’s arrest in June and called the situation a distraction.Bateman faces three charges, including family violence, after he allegedly used a screwdriver to break the windshield of a car that had his 3-month-old daughter and her mother inside. Bateman’s attorney, Jordan Siev, called it a “personal family situation that has been taken completely out of context for sensational reasons.”The NFL is conducting its own investigation into the matter, and Bateman could face league discipline. Violations of the personal conduct policy involving family violence carry a baseline suspension of six games.“It’s obviously something that we’re very disappointed about, that we have to deal with these kinds of things right now. A little bit of a distraction at some points,” DeCosta said.“We made a statement. We knew about it right away. We contacted the league right away, spoke to the league. The league has been doing an investigation, as well, I suppose, as the authorities. In these matters, we just really sit back and wait for the league and the authorities to tell us what’s going on.”DeCosta said the team has no indication of how long the investigation will take, but he expressed confidence in the Ravens’ wide receiver group to make up for any extended Bateman absence.• Asked about the recent decision to add veteran Jake Moody to the practice squad, DeCosta said he felt it was time to get a look at another kicker with Tyler Loop struggling.“We’ve got to make kicks,” DeCosta said. “Fresh set of legs to look at, evaluate, compare, see how it all works out. In the end, it’s a performance business. It starts with me. We have to do our job.”Loop was 5-for-8 on field goals this preseason after his 44-yard miss in Week 18 in Pittsburgh last season kept the Ravens out of the playoffs. Even after signing Moody, who was let go by the Washington Commanders about halfway through the preseason, Minter expressed confidence in Loop and said he expected him to be the team’s kicker in Week 1.“We want to try and be consistent across the board and have enough competition,” DeCosta said. “Looking at it this preseason, we decided it was probably worthwhile to bring somebody else in and see how they look.”• DeCosta gave the most optimistic update yet on defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, who is attempting to make his return from a major neck injury that caused him to miss most of the 2025 season and prompted legitimate questions about whether his career could be over.The Ravens kept Madubuike on the active roster rather than putting him on injured reserve, which would have forced the two-time Pro Bowler to miss at least the first four games.“If we think he is going to miss four games or more, then probably IR would be suitable,” DeCosta said. “I think the fact that we didn’t put him on IR means that we would expect him to be able to contribute sooner than that.“I’m probably more bullish on that right now than I ever have been. We feel really good about it. I’m pretty confident that he’ll be back on the field playing for us before the fourth game.”DeCosta said Madubuike had a really good day Wednesday as the defensive lineman continued to increase his practice activity level ahead of the regular-season opener.