Lamar Jackson Appears Fully Healthy, Putting In the Work
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson wasted little time getting back to work this offseason after missing four games with a bone bruise in his ankle.
Jackson resumed throwing the football shortly after the Super Bowl and now it appears he is running at full speed.
Jackson has also been working out with fellow wide receivers Rashod Bateman, James Proche, and Binjimen Victor.
Jackson, who won NFL MVP in 2019, threw for 2,882 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over 12 games. He missed the game against the Bears because of an illness.
He is poised for a bounce-back season.
“Lamar is phenomenal, as always," Bateman said. "He’s doing good. I’m excited for him and excited for his future. But we did get together a couple of times to get some work in, and we just left it at that. Workouts, getting better, that’s all we can focus on.”
Jackson is playing the season under his fifth-year option but the Ravens are committed to him over the long term and are building their offense around him.
General manager Eric Decosta has met with Jackson several times over the past year to discuss a new deal, but the sides have yet to reach an agreement.
"Lamar is a Pro Bowl quarterback. He played some brilliant football this year, and we had some struggles," DeCosta said. "Certainly, as a group, when you consider the turmoil that we had in the offensive line [and] at the running back position, that’s a factor. Lamar’s health this year, he had some issues; he was sick, he hurt his foot and all of those different things.
"We had a lot of different injuries [and] a lot of different things that we dealt with. So, I think there’s a lot of upside with our offense; Lamar is a big part of that. He’s the right person to do it."
Jackson is not worried about the contract.
His only focus is bringing home a title.
"[My] goal next year is to get that Bowl," Jackson said. "Take it one game at a time. Get better as an individual and as a team."
