Do you remember last year’s nail-biting MVP race when Lamar Jackson was putting together what might’ve been his most dominant season yet? The Ravens quarterback was absolutely torching defenses with a 2024 campaign that had him completing 67.9% of his throws for 3,955 yards, 39 touchdowns, and just four picks, while also bulldozing his way to 852 rushing yards. His 121.6 quarterback rating was sitting pretty as the second-best single-season mark in NFL history, trailing only Aaron Rodgers’ legendary 2011 performance.
Even with those mind-blowing numbers, the MVP race with Josh Allen was tighter than a playoff game in December. Through it all, Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar had his quarterback’s back, firing off social media support: “I’m not a math genius but one guy seems to be leading in all categories except QB sneaks,” Kolar wrote. Fast forward to this season, and guess what? Charlie’s right back at it, showing that same unwavering support for his franchise quarterback.
This Thursday, Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar—who’s pulling in $4 million this season—dropped some social media gold on his Instagram story. He posted a photo from Lamar Jackson’s minicamp with the caption “Looking Good UNC,” and Jackson couldn’t help but reshare it with a bunch of laughing emojis. The whole exchange shows just how tight this Ravens locker room is, but while Lamar’s cracking up on social media, his contract situation has everyone else staying stone-cold silent.
May 22, 2024, Owings Mills, Md, USA: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson speaks with media members after a team OTA open practice session on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in Owings Mills, Maryland. Owings Mills USA – ZUMAm67_ 20240522_zaf_m67_029 Copyright: xKennethxK.xLamx
Jackson made his grand return to Owings Mills this week for mandatory minicamp, his first real appearance since those voluntary workouts last month. The energy was instantly recognizable—vintage Lamar with that signature bounce in his step, firing sidearm missiles to Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, connecting with Zay Flowers, DeAndre Hopkins, and Mark Andrews. Sure, some throws sailed high, others got picked off, but that’s just the full Jackson experience during these June sessions.
What really caught everyone’s attention was what happened right after he hit the field. Quarterbacks coach Tee Martin casually asked Jackson what he’d been studying this offseason, and the answer was brutally honest. “The first thing he said was the games that we lost,” Martin revealed. “He’s like, ‘I just wanna know how we lost ’em and what we did and how we can be better.’”
That Buffalo loss is still eating at him. The Ravens coughed up three turnovers in that heartbreaking 27-25 divisional round defeat, with Jackson responsible for two of them—a fumble and a pick that basically sealed their fate. His approach to rewatching that nightmare? “Try to make the game a lot easier for us,” Jackson explained. “Going into a game and knowing what a defense gonna do before they do it.”
Martin didn’t sugarcoat how deeply that Buffalo loss cut. “The last two seasons it kind of ended that way with some really emotional losses,” he said, acknowledging the pattern that’s been haunting this team. Jackson’s also still fired up about all the hate thrown at Mark Andrews after he dropped a two-point conversion with 93 seconds left. But what’s Lamar’s take on the whole mess?
Lamar Jackson stays mum on contract extension’s talks
When reporters tried to get Lamar Jackson to spill the tea about his contract talks Tuesday after minicamp practice, the Ravens quarterback flashed that trademark smile and shut it down fast. “You know I never discuss contract situations here,” Jackson said with a grin. “I don’t want to talk about it. Is that OK with you?” Classic Lamar – keeping his business off the field while everyone else does the talking for him.
But here’s what we do know: the conversations are definitely happening behind closed doors. General Manager Eric DeCosta spilled some details earlier this month on the “BMore Baseball Podcast,” revealing they’ve been busy working the phones. “We’ve had some conversations before the draft, after the draft, in person last week,” DeCosta explained. “I think we’re in the introductory sort of stage of looking at what an extension might look like.”
The timing makes perfect sense. Jackson’s current five-year, $260 million deal from 2023 made him the highest-paid player in the league back then, but the quarterback market has exploded since. His $43.5 million cap hit this season jumps to a whopping $74.5 million next year, but that’s chump change compared to what’s happening around the league. Josh Allen just locked up a six-year, $330 million extension with Buffalo, while Dak Prescott is sitting pretty at $60 million per season with Dallas.
Head coach John Harbaugh isn’t shy about where he thinks Jackson belongs in all this. “I think every contract he signs till he decides to hang up his cleats, he’s going to be that guy,” Harbaugh said back in March, basically guaranteeing Jackson will reset the market again. When those comments got back to Jackson? Another smile, but still no words about the money talk.
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