Lamar Jackson Will Remain Centerpiece of Ravens Offense Moving Forward
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens coach John Harbaugh unequivocally reiterated his support for Lamar Jackson as the team's quarterback for 2023 and beyond, despite the contact situation.
"Lamar Jackson is our quarterback; he’s been our quarterback," Harbaugh said. "Everything we’ve done in terms of building our offense and building our team, how we think in terms of [bringing in] people and putting people around him is based on this incredible young man, his talent, his ability and his competitiveness. He and I were talking today too, and the thing about Lamar that to me stands out – he's an incredible competitor.
"Lamar Jackson, all he wants to do is win at everything he does. Yes, he has a lot of talent, he’s a very bright guy, he has a big heart, but he’s just a massive competitor. That’s the kind of guys we want to build this team around; guys that love football and guys that love to compete. So, that hasn’t changed; it’ll never change."
The Ravens selected Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick in the 2018 draft. He was unanimously named NFL MVP the following year.
However, there have been ups and downs since that stellar season. Jackson has missed 10 regular season games over the past two seasons because of injuries.
The Ravens have struggled when Jackson is sidelined, going 45-16 when he's in the lineup and 8-13 when he's out.
That's why the Ravens still consider him to be an integral part of the team moving forward.
He is eligible for free agency this offseason.
"I’ve loved Lamar, [executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta] loves Lamar, and it’s not going to change in the future," Harbaugh said. "I don’t know anything about the details about the whole thing, but I know one thing: I’m like all the fans out there and everybody else; I’ll have my fingers crossed, and my toes crossed, and I’ll be saying prayers.
"I have every faith that it’s going to get done, and we have the best people in the world doing it. Eric DeCosta, there’s nobody better. Eric wants him here, I want him here, [Ravens owner] Steve [Bisciotti] wants him here, and Lamar wants to be here. So, it’s going to work out.”
