OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — As much as Lamar Jackson might try to stay away from divisive social media topics, at least one broke through this offseason.
“The 69 thing,” Jackson said. “The ratings, whatever it is. I've seen that. People were tagging me.”
It certainly caused a stir when Jackson was ranked No. 69 in the NFL Top 100 list. The two-time MVP had a down season last year, missing four games and looking shaky when he did play. He's bounced back
from injuries in the past, but that ranking — which is voted on by players — suggests real skepticism about Jackson's ability to regain the elite status he held just one year ago.
“It is what it is," Jackson said. "I play football. I do not care about rankings.”
If there's a case against a rebound for Jackson it's that his incredible elusiveness wasn't really there last season. He rushed for a career-low 349 yards and was sacked 36 times — up from 23 in 2024. It's unclear how much of that was because he wasn't fully healthy — but at this point it's on Jackson to show he can consistently play at full strength.
Still, he won't be 30 until January and is only a season removed from a spectacular 2024 in which he threw for 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions. An Associated Press survey this month had Jackson in the top four among quarterbacks.
“I feel like he might have gotten faster somehow,” safety Kyle Hamilton said after Wednesday's practice. “I don’t want to age him, but he is turning a certain age next year, and it doesn’t seem like that. We’ll keep that age between us, what age he is going to be, but I feel like he got faster.”
There were also some doubts about Jackson after he was injured at the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but he won MVP honors in 2023 and came close to a repeat in 2024. When he's been healthy, he's been extremely difficult to stop.
There's an added bit of uncertainty this year, however. In 2023, Jackson had just signed a new long-term contract with Baltimore, so at least that issue had been taken care of. Now there are only two seasons left on his deal, and if 2026 goes like last year, there could be real chatter about his future with the Ravens.
As usual, Jackson is not interested in discussing his contract negotiations publicly. He was more forthcoming about his adjustment to new coach Jesse Minter, who took over after John Harbaugh was fired. Declan Doyle is Jackson's new offensive coordinator, replacing Todd Monken.
“‘Dec’ is like a wizard. He is trying to get the best out of all of us. Not just the quarterbacks, but every aspect of the offense,” Jackson said. “Even with the huddle, and how the huddle is set up, he challenges us to get to the line of scrimmage fast, execute, break down the defense and process everything fast so that it’s a process of elimination when we get to the line of scrimmage.”
Jackson won his second MVP in his first season under Monken, so he has shown he can pick up a new system quickly. The question is whether he's still physically the same player he's been for most of his career. Jackson is confident his best football remains ahead of him.
“Each and every year you are getting older, your mind is getting sharper. Everything is slowing down even more,” he said. "You’ve seen anything and everything a defense can bring at you. The only thing different now is just the new offense. So, once I get that down pat, I feel like there is no room for error with us. We’ll keep stacking.”
NOTES: The Ravens and Baltimore County announced an agreement this week for $120 million in investment in the team's facility in Owings Mills. The agreement includes up to $70 million from the team, as well as $25 million from Baltimore County over 10 years, subject to approval by the county council. The team and the county have submitted a request for a $25 million investment by the Maryland Department of Commerce. The agreement includes a lease extension starting Aug. 1, 2028, with renewal options allowing the team to stay headquartered in Baltimore County for up to 40 additional years.
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