Things feel different around the Baltimore Ravens’ organization entering 2026. There’s a new head honcho in charge, as Jesse Minter was hired to get them back into contention. And even though the front office remains the same, they’ve been much more aggressive.
It’s clear that much of Baltimore’s offseason was focused on getting the best group to surround Lamar Jackson. He’s a two-time MVP at quarterback, but much of the roster and coaching in recent years has fallen short. Not this year. Or at least, hopefully not.
It’s for those reasons that there’s more pressure on Jackson. As a superstar quarterback, there’s always been a ton of attention on him, but now, things change. There’s no longer any eyes on John Harbaugh. He’s been fired. All eyes are on Lamar Jackson.
Troy Aikman spoke about that shift on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday.
“When you are a veteran quarterback, franchise quarterback, and you’ve had the years that Lamar has had, now the coach leaves, you've got a first-time coach coming in, that puts a lot on the plate of the quarterback. So the expectations certainly are going to be higher for him,” Aikman said. “The expectations are what they are…he’s probably feeling a little bit more of the heat than he otherwise would.”
Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson facing intense pressure in 2026
Lamar Jackson has always been one of the most scrutinized players in the entire league. You could probably even say the most scrutinized. Since the moment he entered the NFL, every snap of every game has been put under a microscope. It’s unfair, but at this point, when you’ve accomplished the things that he’s accomplished, it’s expected.
The pressure may be at its highest in 2026, though. In 2025, John Harbaugh got most of the blame, and rightfully so. He put together a coaching disaster class last year. However, with an exciting first-year head coach in Jesse Minter calling the shots now, Jackson’s leadership takes center stage. He'll have to play his part on smoothing things out.
Whether you deem it fair or not, Jackson’s going to be held to an even higher standard this year. He’s already gotten plenty of flak for his lack of playoff success, but a lot of that could be shifted onto other areas, like coaching and interior offensive line play. Those areas have improved, and the chips are set for Jackson and Baltimore to finally tame their playoff woes.
If we see the same struggles from the Ravens under Minter, the outside noise will be loud, especially on Jackson. Yes, the young coaching staff, especially between Minter and Declan Doyle, will have some growing pains, but unfortunately, that’s not how most people are going to be thinking.
The changes were made this offseason to set up Jackson for success. He needs to get over the playoff hump. It’s not all on him, but he’ll certainly be hearing more criticism than ever if he and the Ravens struggle in big moments once again.
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