Lamar not yet at workouts after signing contract

Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterMay 10, 2023, 05:06 PM ET
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- University of Maryland graduate
- Lives in the Baltimore area with his wife and son

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens have started installing their new offense, but they’re doing so without the NFL’s highest-paid player.

Less than six days after signing a five-year, $260 million deal, quarterback Lamar Jackson remains absent from the team’s voluntary offseason workout program. Backups Tyler Huntley and Anthony Brown were quarterbacking the on-field workouts Wednesday.

“I know Lamar is working hard,” new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “I know the guys that aren’t here are working hard; they’re pros. When they’re here, they’re here. We look forward to getting them here and getting up to speed to what we’re doing offensively. I think that’s probably the biggest challenge, but it’s football. When they get here, they get here, and we’ll get them up to speed.”

Jackson was not the only offensive starter missing. Wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, and running back J.K. Dobbins were among those absent during this important offseason for the offense.

The Ravens are adding a new playbook, along with new terminology, under Monken, who was hired to replace Greg Roman in January. Asked whether he had any idea when Jackson and Beckham would report to the workout program, Monken said the team is in “constant communication” with both players.

“I do think that we’ll be able to get those guys here hopefully in a short amount of time,” Monken said. “But until that happens, we’ll get up to speed with the guys we have.”

This isn’t the first time Jackson has skipped these voluntary workouts. Last offseason, he didn’t report to Baltimore until the mandatory minicamp in the middle of June.

This year, Jackson and the Ravens ended 27 months of challenging negotiations with one of the most lucrative deals in NFL history. He received a record signing bonus of $72.5 million as well as a three-year cash flow of $156 million, which is the largest in the league.

Jackson, 26, is the only player in NFL history to produce 25 touchdown passes and 1,000 yards rushing in a season — and he has done it twice (2019 and 2020). But he has had some uneven play the past two seasons, totaling 33 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions.

After signing the contract last Thursday, Jackson was noncommittal on when he would participate in the voluntary organized team activities, which begin May 22.

“I’m going to be in soon,” Jackson said. “I’ll be here soon.”