Lamar Jackson ‘gets real’ about sitting out Ravens playoff game

Lamar Jackson made it abundantly clear that he wants out of Baltimore this offseason, yet his latest tweet could calm down some Ravens fans.

Following the events that transpired this week, the Lamar Jackson situation has officially become unhinged.

The Baltimore Ravens have a quarterback who submitted a trade request in early March and wants out of the franchise. Jackson isn’t getting the interest he wants from other teams, much less a physical offer sheet.

There are a lot of ways this could get ugly, but Jackson appears to be clearing some doubts about his character.

According to Jackson’s latest tweet, his mindset remains as competitive as ever, and he isn’t entertaining the idea of a potential holdout this season. His reasoning is that he didn’t sit out last season when his contract status was up in the air, so why would he do so this season?

Jackson also got “real” about his injuries late last season that caused him to miss the Ravens’ Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, saying he’d “rather have a 100% PCL than go out there and play horrible.”

The star quarterback suffered PCL strain in Week 13, and it’s reasonable enough to believe Jackson wants to be at full health before stepping onto the field again.

Lamar Jackson claims he won’t hold out on Ravens in 2023 season

The most frustrating part of that whole injury saga, however, was the way Jackson and the Ravens organization handled the information. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told the media Jackson could return in two weeks which became four weeks which became the rest of the season and postseason.

Jackson’s serious “Grade 2 borderline Grade 3” PCL sprain wasn’t announced until mid-January, and it felt like there was a continual disconnect in communication between Jackson and the Ravens, and also the Ravens and the media.

Not flying with the team for the Wild Card game was not a good look. Ambushing Harbaugh yesterday with a weeks-old secret was not a good look.

Jackson’s relationship with the Ravens at the end of the 2022 season and three months into the offseason continues to sour, and as much as the quarterback claims he won’t hold out, his actions suggest otherwise.

Even if Jackson, who’s clearly disgruntled about playing under the non-exclusive franchise tag, were to sit out for most or all of training camp and play in the 2023 season, that’s far from ideal.

Baltimore is trying to turn over a new leaf with a new offensive coordinator and likely a few more cornerstone roster signings in the franchise’s attempt to seriously contend for the Super Bowl — a winning season and playoff berth should be the baseline, not the goal at this point in the Lamar Jackson era.

Unless, of course, Jackson gets his wish and leaves Baltimore. Jackson’s past six months with the Ravens has been nothing short of exhausting, and the franchise may want to end both sides’ misery now. Find a willing trade suitor, get those two first-rounders, free up $32 million in cap space, and move on from someone who so publicly and shamelessly declared he doesn’t want to be in Baltimore anymore.

As talented as Jackson is, the Ravens have to recognize what he’s starting to become: a no-good troublemaker.