Is there reason for concern in Baltimore?
That’s what some people are wondering as Lamar Jackson continued a worrying trend of skipping team OTA’s.
Only a year into the five-year, $260 million extension he signed with the Ravens, head coach John Harbaugh has to be wondering what it’s going to take for Jackson to spend more time around the facility.
Of course, the OTA’s that Jackson missed were voluntary. That needs to be noted.
Jackson has been present at Ravens mandatory minicamp and there’s no reason to expect that he won’t be in attendance at all mandatory activities going forward.
However, it’s more than fair to wonder why the single most important player on the entire team refuses to take advantage of all the practice time he can get – especially when he’s being paid $260 million.
“I pretty much know the different reasons guys aren’t here most of the time, but not always,” Harbaugh previously said.
“Nobody’s required to tell you exactly what’s going on. So, I’m not really specifically going to be able to comment on anybody that way. But the guys that were here were great flying around, and those are the guys we had a great time coaching.”
Harbaugh is a loyal and protective coach. He would never throw Jackson under the bus and that’s certainly admirable.
Having said that, he has to be scratching his head over the repeated absences.
Jackson has spoken about just how painful Baltimore’s season-ending loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was in last year’s playoffs.
There’s a reason why the Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions and will attempt to pull off a historic three-peat this coming season.
Much like Tom Brady and the Dynasty Patriots, when your best player is also your hardest worker, it sets the ultimate tone for the type of winning culture that’s needed to truly be great.
It should come as no surprise that Patrick Mahomes has not only been at Kansas City’s “voluntary” OTA’s and workouts, but he’s also organized his own practices in his free time to get extra work in with his teammates.
There’s a reason why the Ravens put in significant workout bonuses into Jackson’s contract.
I’m not saying he’s at Kyler Murray’s level, but the organization obviously felt the need to hold him extra accountable.
Jackson’s decision to skip OTA’s came with a hefty cost – $750,000 to be exact.
When reporters asked Jackson about the forfeited $750,000, he responded: “I never discuss my contract up here. I’m not about to start today.”
That’s fair. After all, he can say whatever he wants. He made his decision, and for better or worse, the Ravens have to deal with it – as does his wallet.
“I’m focusing on just getting better and focusing on tomorrow,” Jackson added. “We just had a great practice. We’re just trying to keep it going. Then, when [training] camp comes, camp is going to come.”
Again, let’s not make this out to be something it’s not.
By all accounts, the vast majority of Jackson’s teammates absolutely love him. And it’s safe to assume that he’s not totally slacking off. After all, he did attend a portion of the voluntary OTA’s.
While the OTA’s he skipped were not mandatory by any means, we all know that there’s a different set of expectations for quarterbacks in the NFL.
As the most important player on the team, it’s expected that they go above and beyond in the work department – especially when the entire team is trying to gel together.
Jackson told the media that he’s open to hosting “off the clock” workouts with his wide receivers and tight ends prior to the start of training camp next month.
However, he made it clear that his teammates will need to come to him.
“I would love to do that, but some guys don’t want to leave their state,” he said. “They’re going to have to come to South Florida. They’re going to have to do it. We have to. We’re trying to get to the Super Bowl, and for us to do that, we have to grind. We have to build chemistry.”
(Interesting choice of words for Jackson … I’m just going to leave that there.)
Looking ahead, Jackson and the Ravens are desperate to get over the hump and finally succeed in the postseason.
While a brutal schedule lies ahead, Jackson is confident in Baltimore’s chances of cracking through.
“I believe our offense is taking steps in the right direction right now,” he said. “We don’t really know who the guys are going to be right now. We’re not in camp. We’re not close to the first game or anything like that. But right now, I feel like we’re taking steps in the right direction.
“Guys are moving good, running great routes, catching the ball, blocking good … We look pretty smooth.”
What are your thoughts on Jackson skipping the earlier OTA’s?
Should Baltimore be concerned? … Or is the whole situation being way overblown?
In the bigger picture, how do you think Jackson and the Ravens will do this coming season????