Lamar Jackson Shares Same Excitement About New Coaching Staff As Ravens Fans

During his first media appearance since the Baltimore Ravens' 2025 season came to a soul-crushing end, with their playoff hopes extinguished at the hands of their archrivals, franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson expressed a sentiment similar to that of the vast majority of the team's fan base.

Without taking any direct or indirect shots at his former head coach of eight years, John Harbaugh, the two-time league MVP revealed his initial impressions of new head coach Jesse Minter and the rest of the overhauled coaching staff he helped vet.

"I can say it's a breath of fresh air," Jackson said. "Everything is just new basically, besides [the front office] upstairs."

The positivity that Minter radiates is palpable as he wears it on his face in the form of an ever-present smile whenever he's on the field or around the building, according to Jackson.

"He's a cool coach," Jackson said. "He always has a smile on his face. I just told him on the field today, I'm like, 'Every time I come in the building, you're always smiling.' You don't know what Coach is thinking about; he just has a smile on his face, and that's great to have."

While Minter will mark just the second head coach of his career, new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will be Jackson's fourth different play-caller since entering the league, and the two are already hitting it off as they look to take the Ravens offense to the next level.

"I have had quite a few conversations with coach Doyle, great conversations," Jackson said. "He wants me to be involved a lot. That's why I believe coach Jesse brought him along, and we're having fun with it. All of us are having fun with the new system, and what he sees on the field and from what he sees on film. So, it's great. It's great."

The Ravens have gone out of their way during what has been an offseason of seismic change for the franchise to ensure that Jackson was involved in several aspects of their major decisions when it came to the hiring of Minter, Doyle, and most likely, Israel Woolfork, who replaced Tee Martin as the team's new quarterbacks coach. Having input on the type of offensive system that he'll be operating in "means a lot" to him as he embarks on the new, exciting phase of his career.

"I feel like I should know what coach [Doyle] is thinking when he is calling certain plays on the field," Jackson said.

Much has been made about the age gap between him and Doyle, or rather the lack thereof, given that they were the same age at the time of his hiring and are only separated by 10 months. Jackson doesn't see it as a potential obstacle but rather an advantage that will aid in the acclimation process.

.@Lj_era8 on what it’s like working with Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle pic.twitter.com/lXQCCFgUzU
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 27, 2026

"Him seeing things on film and when he is calling certain plays, I know what he's thinking within the play call," Jackson said. "It's just making my job a lot easier, and it's awesome. It's awesome to have."

Shortly after they both were officially hired by the Ravens, Minter and Doyle hopped on a plane together to go visit Jackson in South Florida despite having already interacted with him virtually during their respective interview processes.

"That's awesome," Jackson said. "I felt like that was a great thing to do because I was intrigued with those guys during the interviews, just trying to pick their brains, and I felt like they were doing the same thing with me.

"They want to win, and I want to win as well. So, I felt like it was great for those guys to come down and meet with me."

Jackson wishes Harbaugh the best in next chapter

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson during a game against the Cleveland Browns. — Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

There was no more outspoken fan and supporter of Jackson throughout, but especially early on in his career, than Harbaugh. He sang his praises prior to and during his first MVP campaign and never stopped up until he got fired and replaced by Minter, who is carrying that torch now as the star signal callers' biggest supporter.

Jackson was among the many players who were initially stunned when the news first broke that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was moving on from Harbaugh after nearly two decades at the helm.

"I have a lot of respect for coach [Harbaugh]," Jackson said. "Just seeing that, I was shocked in a way, in a sense," Jackson said. "But I felt like [Owner] Mr. Steve [Bisciotti] did what was best for the team.

It didn't take Harbaugh long to land back on his feet with a different storied franchise on the same coast but, thankfully, in the opposite conference, as he was hired by the New York Giants not even two weeks after being fired by the Ravens.

Jackson reached out and messaged Harbaugh after finding out that he was hired by the Giants to congratulate him. He wishes him nothing but the best and believes that he'll continue to be successful as a head coach after they enjoyed so much prosperity together in Charm City, but failed to claim the ultimate prize or even reach the Super Bowl.

"I hope Coach Harbaugh has a great time in New York," Jackson said. "Hats off to Coach Harbaugh because he did so much for the city, for the team and for this organization. So, hats off to him in New York. We built a lot. We did a lot here."

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