The start of the offseason was not strong for Lamar Jackson. However, in the span of less than 24 hours, things really started to spin his way. Of course, it did start a few weeks ago when the team added Odell Beckham Jr. The move looked pretty obvious that the Baltimore Ravens did it with thoughts that Jackson would be on the team.
Lamar Jackson is Baltimore Ravens biggest winner in 2023 NFL draft
So, this started to rekindle the talks. Next, the Ravens saw Jalen Hurts sign an extension that was not the Deshaun Watson deal. This served as a huge bridge for both sides to look at and go off of moving forward. For the Ravens, they can now offer something less than Watson without looking like they are lowballing him, and for Jackson, he gets more Hurts, which shows that he is next in line and deserving of a big payday. It was a win for both sides.
The day was going to be a great situation for Jackson even if the Ravens traded out of round one. However, the Ravens ramped things up to a completely new level when they drafted Zay Flowers in the first round as well. Zay Flowers completes the Ravens' wide receiver room and shows the star quarterback that they are building a passing offense.
The Baltimore Ravens changed offensive coordinators, and are shifting to more of a pro-style passing attack under Todd Monken. They paid Lamar Jackson, showing they believe in his arm. Then, they added Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers. Oh year, remember when Nelson Agholor was the big addition to the room?
All of this is win after win for Jackson, and this is what he had been looking for all along. Now, he has the passing options, and he not only has a veteran he is familiar with, but he has a rookie he can grow with.
The offseason started with many calling Lamar Jackson a loser, but it ended with him being arguably the biggest winner of the draft. The combination of getting paid and seeing a skill player come in and help you prove that deal has to be satisfying.