Lamar Jackson not but at Ravens exercises after signing deal

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens have began putting in their new offense, however they’re doing so with out the NFL’s highest-paid participant.

Lower than six days after signing a five-year, $260 million deal, quarterback Lamar Jackson stays absent from the staff’s voluntary offseason exercise program. Backups Tyler Huntley and Anthony Brown had been quarterbacking the on-field exercises on Wednesday.

“I do know Lamar is working exhausting,” new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken mentioned. “I do know the fellows that are not listed here are working exhausting; they’re professionals. Once they’re right here, they’re right here. We sit up for getting them right here and getting up to the mark to what we’re doing offensively. I feel that is in all probability the largest problem, nevertheless it’s soccer. Once they get right here, they get right here, and we’ll get them up to the mark.”

Jackson was not the one offensive starter lacking. Large receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman, offensive deal with Ronnie Stanley and working again J.K. Dobbins had been amongst these absent throughout this necessary offseason for the offense.

The Ravens are including a brand new playbook, together with new terminology, beneath Monken, who was employed to interchange Greg Roman in January. Requested if he had any thought when Jackson and Beckham would report back to the exercise program, Monken mentioned the staff is in “fixed communication” with each gamers.

“I do assume that we’ll have the ability to get these guys right here hopefully in a brief period of time,” Monken mentioned. “However till that occurs, we’ll rise up to hurry with the fellows we’ve.”

This is not the primary time that Jackson has skipped these voluntary exercises. Final offseason, he did not report back to Baltimore till the necessary minicamp in the midst of June.

This 12 months, Jackson and the Ravens ended 27 months of difficult negotiations with one of the vital profitable offers in NFL historical past. He obtained a file signing bonus of $72.5 million in addition to a three-year money circulation of $156 million, which is the biggest within the league.

Jackson, 26, is the one participant in NFL historical past to provide 25 landing passes and 1,000 yards dashing in a season — and he is finished it twice (2019 and 2020). However he is had some uneven play the final two seasons, totaling 33 landing passes and 20 intersections.

After signing the contract final Thursday, Jackson was noncommittal on when he would take part within the voluntary organized staff actions, which start Could 22.

“I’ll be in quickly,” Jackson mentioned. “I will be right here quickly.”