Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens

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The Season

Let's cut right to the chase. We came here to talk about Lamar Jackson. You already know what happened with the Ravens season. Because it's what always happens in Baltimore. They make the playoffs and then fall short in either Wild Card weekend or the divisional round.

This year it was Wild Card weekend. And the guy we wanted to see was *controversially so* out with an injury. Lamar's last game was Week 13, an ugly 10-9 win against the Denver Broncos. The Ravens were 8-4 at the end of that contest. And would go on to lose 3 of their last 5 to limp into the playoffs.

Backup QB Tyler Huntley did good. This is what a team wants out of their backup quarterback. In 4 starts he went 2-2, but I pray no one in that building actually is trying to convince themselves that they'd be fine without #8. I pray they don't let those dog whistles on Twitter that still babble on that Lamar can't throw or is this overly flawed QB, lead them down a dark alley. Because let me tell you, it'd be a dark alley indeed. But more on that later.

The Post Season

Baltimore drew AFC North rival and Super Bowl runner-up, the Cincinnati Bengals in the big tournament. There seemed to be questions as to if Lamar could suit up having been out for five weeks. Instead of waiting for an NFL insider to give us the scoop, we heard from the horse's mouth - or Raven's mouth - directly:

Many speculated as to if Lamar was 'purposely' sitting out amidst the contract battle between he and Ravens brass. Some took exception to Lamar 'speaking out' in this manner but it would be a former Raven and current NFL analyst to put Lamar's options in perspective:

As for the game itself, the Bengals eked out a 24-17 win facing Baltimore in for a second time in a row. After a commanding win in Buffalo, the Bengals return to the AFC Championship game, seeking to ultimately revenge their loss in last year's Super Bowl. As for Baltimore...

What's Next?

For all intents and purposes, the Ravens are in good shape. Baltimore is 8th in cap space availability, more than enough to sort out their free agent list. But again, we are here to chat about Lamar. What do they do?

From what the rumor mill tells, Deshaun Watson's deal with the Browns may be involved. For the uninitiated, the Browns wildly overspent on Deshaun because how else do you get a notable free agent QB to come to Cleveland?

It's been so hard finding quality QBs in Cleveland

And to be quite frank, both sides are right. Lamar hasn't logged a full season yet. Small potatoes, yes. But, durability and availability is key if the conversation is centered around fully guaranteeing a contract. But, part of this is on Baltimore. They've parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and like they did with Joe Flacco - Lamar's predecessor - perhaps it is best to find a new style of offense.

For Joe, the Ravens switched from the Air Coryell offense to a West Coast offense. This helped Joe consistently improve in completion percentage while the Ravens climbed the ranks in passes attempted with their strong armed QB.

Despite Lamar bursting on the scene with back-to-back 1,000+ rushing yards on route to a MVP award in 2019 - and a Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro selection - it would be wise to put him in position to be more durable.

A team does not simply walk away from an MVP quarterback

Bobby Petrino - Lamar's college coach - was not running the Option offense. Of Roman's three years running that scheme, the Ravens ranked last, 9th and 28th in passes attempted in the league. In the season they ranked 9th, the Ravens had their first 1,000+ yard receiver since 2016. Which is where I'd love to focus the plan moving forward for the Ravens.

Re-sign Lamar and get the man some receivers. In Joe Flacco's 10-year career in the Charm City, half of those he enjoyed a 1,000+ yard receiver. Some years, the Ravens had two receivers logging upwards of 700-800 yards. Excluding Hollywood Brown's 2021 season, Lamar's leading receiver has put up the following: 584 yards, 769 yards, and 458 yards. Mark Andrews has been a stellar tight end but without credible weapons on the outside, it'll be the same story of begging Lamar to bail the team out and then whining when he breaks down and falls short.

I'm no general manager or cap-ologist but there has to be a middle ground between guaranteed money and incentives for these two sides to meet at. The Ravens can't afford to not have Lamar Jackson. This franchise, more than any, should know the struggles of finding a franchise QB. Bring back Lamar, find some offensive linemen and receivers, and get America's QB to the Super Bowl, pronto!

Check out our other NFL Offseason Outlooks:

Minnesota Vikings | New York Giants | Seattle Seahawks | Miami Dolphins

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