The Baltimore Ravens have made several changes around the team this offseason, with the biggest one being Jesse Minter replacing John Harbaugh as the head coach.
Minter looks to take Baltimore to that next level, and it begins in the offseason. The Ravens kicked off a slew of OTA practices with the first stretch being May 18 to May 19. Tuesday's practice was open to the media, and quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn't present. Of course, that caught the attention of media members and fans, but Minter put out the flame around his franchise quarterback.
When asked about Jackson's absence, Minter said:
"Lamar's been one of our leaders of the offseason program. A couple things going on yesterday and today. Do expect him to be back soon. We've had some great conversations."
Jesse Minter isn't worried about Lamar Jackson
It's not surprising that Jackson was going to be a talking point, but it appears that Minter has been in contact with his signal caller. Although it would be great to have everyone participate in each practice in a new program, these practices are voluntary. Jackson has also been seen at the facility throughout the offseason, which shows how in tune he is with the new staff.
It's also worth mentioning that Jackson wasn't the only player absent from Tuesday's session. According to ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, Rashod Bateman, Travis Jones, and Calais Campbell are some other names who were missing. None of those names moved the needle, but since it was Jackson, it was made bigger than it was.
Jackson has a $750,000 bonus if he attends 80 percent of offseason workouts, which is something he passed on in 2024 and 2025. While there's still time to go, it's been clear that Jackson is engaged with the new era in Baltimore. When Phase 1 began on April 6, Jackson was present and was captured by the Ravens' official X account.
With multiple OTA practices on the docket in May and early June before mandatory minicamp runs from June 9-11, there's a great chance that fans will see Jackson back in the building. The two-time MVP also has an extension on the horizon. He will look to bring his best foot forward with the new coaching staff.
It's still May, so there will be overreactions, and this was one of them. Even though Jackson has been absent from these sessions in the past, he deserves the benefit of the doubt, especially since Minter doesn't seem pressed about it himself.
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