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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The most elusive move by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson came after Wednesday’s minicamp practice.
Asked why he forfeited a $750,000 workout bonus this spring, Jackson replied, “I never discuss my contract up here. I’m not about to start today.”
Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million deal last year that included bonuses for participating in 80% of the team’s offseason program. This year, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player skipped four of Baltimore’s first five voluntary organized team activities, which cost him $750,000. This was first reported by Pro Football Talk.
This season, Jackson will earn $14.25 million in base salary, which ranks seventh among quarterbacks.
“I’m focusing on just getting better and focusing on tomorrow,” Jackson said. “We just had a great practice. We’re just trying to keep it going. Then, when [training] camp comes, camp is going to come.”
After missing a chunk of the spring practices, Jackson attended the last week of voluntary OTAs and has participated in the first two days of mandatory minicamp. He has had an uneven minicamp, throwing a couple of interceptions Tuesday before having a more solid practice Wednesday, which included a touchdown pass to a leaping Zay Flowers.
Jackson was noncommittal on whether he would get together with his wide receivers and tight ends before training camp, which starts in late July.
“I would love to do that, but some guys don’t want to leave their state,” Jackson said. “They’re going to have to come to South Florida. They’re going to have to do it. We have to. We’re trying to get to the Super Bowl, and for us to do that, we have to grind. We have to build chemistry.”
Jackson is coming off a season in which he set career highs with 3,678 yards passing and a 67.2% completion rate. In games that Jackson has been the Ravens’ starting quarterback, Baltimore is 58-19 (.753), averaging 28.3 points per game.
The Ravens have to replace three starters on their offensive line, but they return all of their starting skill players on offense.
“I believe our offense is taking steps in the right direction right now,” Jackson said. “We don’t really know who the guys are going to be right now. We’re not in camp. We’re not close to the first game or anything like that. But right now, I feel like we’re taking steps in the right direction. Guys are moving good, running great routes, catching the ball, blocking good. We look pretty smooth.”
