OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Speaking for the first time since the playoff loss in Buffalo five months ago, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson acknowledged he still hasn’t gotten over that defeat.
“We’re going to bounce back,” Jackson said after Tuesday’s minicamp practice. “And when we come back, I feel like we’re going to have vengeance on our mind.”
Entering his eighth NFL season, Jackson has the second-best record of any quarterback since 2018 with a 70-24 mark (.745) and has led the Ravens to three AFC North titles, including the past two. But Jackson is the only multiple NFL MVP to not reach a Super Bowl.
In his latest playoff defeat — a 27-25 divisional loss against the Bills — Jackson committed two turnovers in the first half. He was intercepted around midfield in the first quarter, and he fumbled at the Bills’ 34-yard line in the second quarter.
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Asked how long it took him to move past that loss, Jackson replied, “I don’t think I get over any losses, to be honest. I got losses from youth football that still haunt me.”
At the start of Baltimore’s first minicamp practice Tuesday, Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin asked Jackson what film he has been watching this offseason. Jackson’s response: all the games he lost.
Martin described the playoff defeat to the Bills as “a deep-felt loss” for Jackson.
Jackson had an opportunity to tie the score late in the fourth quarter when he threw a 24-yard touchdown to tight end Isaiah Likely with 1:33 remaining. But Jackson’s pass on the ensuing 2-point conversion was dropped by tight end Mark Andrews.
On Tuesday, Jackson came to the defense of Andrews and voiced his displeasure over those who “dogged” the three-time Pro Bowl tight end on social media.
“We wish we would have won the game,” Jackson said. “I wish I didn’t throw that interception. I wish I didn’t fumble. I wish the mishap [with Andrews] didn’t happen. But it happened. It’s just a lesson learned. So next time, we’re going to do something better.”
The one issue that Jackson did not want to discuss was his contract situation. Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million contract in 2023, but it was widely viewed as a three-year agreement. Baltimore would likely want a new deal with Jackson before the start of next offseason, when his 2026 salary cap figure soars to $74.5 million.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta recently told the BMore Baseball Podcast that the team is in the “introductory stage” of contract extension talks with Jackson.
Jackson, who doesn’t have an agent and represents himself, wouldn’t elaborate on where talks stand.
“I never discuss contract situations here,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to talk about it, if that’s OK with you.”
When told Harbaugh said Jackson will become the NFL’s highest-paid player on his next deal, Jackson paused and leaned in closer to the microphone to say, “It sounds good.”
Jackson also is advocating for the Ravens to sign two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was recently cut by the Green Bay Packers. Jackson said he has spoken with Alexander, who was a teammate at Louisville.
“Go get him, Eric,” Jackson said, referring to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. “I love all our corners, don’t get me wrong. But go get him, Eric.”
