How will Ravens' Lamar Jackson recover from surgery? A hand specialist explains.

Sam Cohn, The Baltimore Sun on Nov 15, 2026

Published in Football

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BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson is likely to spend the next 4 to 6 weeks with his thumb wrapped in a splint. Then he’ll ease into range-of-motion exercises. After that, the Ravens’ star quarterback can regain strength in his throwing hand, which could all take a few weeks.

That’s according to Dr. Joshua Abzug, the Director of Pediatric Orthopedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center and a professor of Orthopedics and Pediatrics who specializes in hand, arm, wrist and shoulder injuries among children and adults.

The Ravens intend to let Jackson’s progress “guide the timing of his return,” according to a Friday statement attributed to coach Jesse Minter, which clarified that the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player is recovering from both a broken and dislocated thumb that required surgery.

Clarity on the injury quieted nearly two weeks of speculation.

Jackson’s timeline for return is 6 to 10 weeks, which would land somewhere between Week 16 against Cleveland on Dec. 27 and the playoffs, which begin in mid-January. Because of the severity of the injury, which occurred on Nov. 1 in Buffalo, Jackson could not have avoided surgery if he hopes to return this season.

“He needs that hand to throw,” Abzug told The Baltimore Sun. “I don’t think that’s something that could have just been wrapped up and fixed later. I think it had to have been addressed acutely, and that’s what’s going to make his downtime a little bit longer.”

Abzug has not seen Jackson’s X-rays but believes the dislocation initiated a break, pointing to “a smaller piece of bone that had the ligament attached to it.”

“When they fix the bone, it would line the dislocation up at the same time,” Abzug said. “That would be my best guess, but there are numerous possibilities given the high impact.”

Jackson missed three games earlier this year with a high-ankle sprain, the specifics of which weren’t clarified until 19 days after the injury, when Jackson addressed it himself. He returned for a pivotal Week 8 game against the Bills. On his first drop-back, Jackson’s hand collided with the outstretched arm of Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau.

Minter said postgame that Jackson would land on injured reserve for an unspecified injury that required surgery. It could “potentially” be season-ending, he said at the time. The rookie coach refrained from sharing further details in the weeks that followed.

He was peppered with questions, oftentimes responding simply that he’d “keep all that stuff between me and Lamar.”

On Nov. 2, Minter said Jackson had not undergone surgery yet. One day later, he was asked again about Jackson’s impending surgery and said they would know more “at some point here.” On Nov. 5, Minter declined to comment on whether Jackson had undergone a procedure yet. This past Monday, he said fans may learn of Jackson’s surgery but “that’ll come from him.” And four days later, the team released a statement.

The clock for Jackson’s return timeline started when he went under the knife. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jackson didn’t have surgery immediately after the injury because decision-makers were searching for the “right surgeon.”

For comparison’s sake, look at Trey Hendrickson and Baker Mayfield.

The Ravens’ edge rusher broke his finger in Week 1. He wrapped his hand and tried to play through the pain before opting for surgery. Hendrickson missed two games before returning, still playing with a brace.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback missed three games with a fractured thumb on his throwing hand that did not require surgery.

Jackson’s injury will take a bit longer to heal.

He’s “doing everything he can to get back,” Minter’s statement reads, but as Abzug pointed out, his hand is “immobilized” for the first 4 to 6 weeks after the operation.

On Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Ravens will start a fourth quarterback this season: Jacoby Brissett. The 11-year journeyman was traded from Arizona last week and has enjoyed a “crash course” to get up to speed. Baltimore’s season largely depends on whether Brissett can win a few games until Jackson’s thumb heals.