Ravens OC Shuts Down Rumor of Lamar Jackson Issue

With so many stories swirling since the stunning news that the Baltimore Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 years with the team, fans are starting to hear directly from those involved.

One of the stories to come out of Ravens camp was The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec reporting that Harbaugh was a buffer between quarterback Lamar Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, as they didn't see eye to eye on the offense. Monken spoke on the "Ryan Ripken Show," where he shut down rumors and discussed his relationship with Jackson.

“Lamar and I, to me, had a good relationship. Could it have been better? Of course. Lamar and I never had an issue. I don’t know where that comes from. I never saw Lamar and Coach Harbaugh not have a great relationship.”

"Lamar and I never had an issue I don't know where that comes from. I never saw lamar and coach Harbaugh not have a great relationship"

Former Ravens OC Todd Monken addressed the rumors surrounding his relationship with Lamar Jackson. pic.twitter.com/xgVaqsGvQD
— Ryan Ripken (@ryanripkenshow) January 9, 2026

Monken stands by his relationship with Jackson was on solid ground

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Before Monken joined the Ravens as the offensive coordinator in 2023, Jackson was less of a passer and was often used as a runner on QB-designed runs. The accuracy and development as a passer weren't there for Jackson, but that completely changed once Monken came into the building.

Instantly, Jackson saw an increase in his passing yards from 2022 to 2023 by 1,436, and hit a career-high in passing yards with 3,678, and won his second league MVP. That would be topped the very next year with Jackson's first 4,000-yard season with 4,172 yards and threw a career-high 41 touchdowns to four interceptions while finishing second in the MVP voting.

Where Jackson saw the biggest increase is in his completion percentage as he was at 67.2% in 2023 (his current career-high) and followed it up with a 66.7% number in 2024. His passer rating also increased in 2024, reaching a career-high of 119.6.

Overall, as a passer, Jackson became more polished in the pocket with Monken, and it showed in the stats. That helped Jackson tremendously in protecting his body from taking hits when he took on more QB-designed runs, and he used it more when scrambling out of the pocket.

The 2025 season was an outlier since it was covered with Jackson missing four games with a hamstring and back injury. It was noticeable that Jackson was not 100% healthy throughout the season.

Change is coming for the Ravens, as Monken appears to be out of Baltimore, and Harbaugh is no longer with the Ravens. But the lasting impact he had on Jackson and his development as a passer put the franchise in a much better position because of it.

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