As the Baltimore Ravens begin their first head coaching search in nearly two decades, the central issue is impossible to miss.
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Everything revolves around Lamar Jackson, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Jackson turns 29 today, and while he remains one of the league's most gifted players, the Ravens are keenly aware that his prime years are not unlimited. Finding a coach who can extract more from that talent, without creating further tension, is the task in front of them.
To the extent there was friction between Jackson and former coach John Harbaugh, Baltimore now has to strike a careful balance. The next coach must bring harmony, but also accountability, Florio writes.
It is not hard to understand how frustrations may have built over time. There have been reported concerns about Jackson's diet and conditioning. He has routinely skipped much of the offseason program, sacrificing roughly $1.5 million in voluntary workout bonuses between 2024 and 2025.
There has also been a lingering perception, fair or not, that he has been reluctant to play through certain injuries. Given Jackson's contract history, that last point is understandable. No player with unresolved financial security should feel pressure to risk long-term health.
Whether those issues ever forced owner Steve Bisciotti into a true choice between quarterback and coach is ultimately beside the point. Harbaugh is gone. Jackson is not.
Jackson is under contract for two more seasons, though there have been indications he believes it is time to revisit the five-year, $52.5 million deal he signed in 2023. The market has moved, as it always does, and Jackson has since added another MVP-level season to his résumé.
Unless Baltimore stumbles into an unlikely trade scenario, the path forward is clear. They must make it work with Jackson. And that means hiring a coach who can make it work with Jackson.
Does that include involving him in the search? Maybe not directly, but there is value in observing how candidates connect with him. The quarterback would have to want that role, of course. And if he does and the team shuts him out entirely, that creates a different problem.
Jackson cannot run the franchise. He also cannot be treated like any other player.
His contract, his skill set, and his standing in the locker room give him influence that cannot be ignored. If Jackson buys in, others will follow. If he does not, they will sense that too.
However the process unfolds, the mandate is clear. The next head coach must connect with Jackson.
