Lamar Jackson Jokes About His Age at Ravens OTAs

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been scrutinized in the past for skipping the team’s voluntary offseason program, but the two-time NFL MVP participated in the Ravens’ OTA on Wednesday and voluntarily offered a lot of insight to the media afterward.

Jackson admitted he was “shocked” when the Ravens fired longtime head coach John Harbaugh in January, but he said first-year head coach Jesse Minter and his staff have brought “a breath of fresh air” to the building. With Harbaugh gone, Jackson is one of the longest-tenured presences in Baltimore, but don’t think for a second that means he’s old.

Last week, Ravens All-Pro running back Derrick Henry joked that it’s “a little bit harder to get out of bed [and] touching my toes” entering his 11th NFL season. Jackson was asked about it in the context of how he feels physically entering his ninth season.

“Derrick made it seem like we’re just old or something,” Jackson said with a laugh. “But it’s still normal for me. Just hearing you say Year 9, that’s crazy. That is crazy. One of the players just asked me, like, ‘This Year 9 for you?’ I think it was a rookie. I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I’m not an unc yet, though.’ I’m 29. I just turned 29 in January.”

Jackson continued, “It’s still the same process for me, just getting up and doing something I love. I’m cool with it. I don’t have the being able to touch my toes stuff. I don’t have to do that. I’m locked in. I’m ready.”

Jackson also fielded several questions about the state of his contract extension, and he kept his responses curt. He acknowledged that the Ravens restructured his contract in March and, beyond that, kept everything else between him and the Ravens’ brass.

“I love the Ravens,” Jackson said. “I love this organization. I love this city. This is the team that drafted him. [They] got a lot of love for me, I believe. I got a lot of love for the city and this team as well, so like I told you, the reconstruction is done. Cool with that. But I love Baltimore. Everybody should know that by now.”

The Ravens selected Jackson with the last pick of the first round (No. 32 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Louisville alum immediately took over as the starter and established himself as a generational quarterback. While he’s racked up individual accolades, his first Super Bowl ring still eludes him.

Jackson and the Ravens felt further away from the Lombardi Trophy than ever last season. Jackson dealt with several injuries - missing games with a hamstring and a back contusion but chronically missing Wednesday practices with different designations. The Ravens finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 10:03 PM.