Lamar Jackson has not taken part in the Baltimore Ravens first practice session after signing his new contract.
The Ravens ’ star quarterback signed a new five-year contract just last week which makes him the highest paid player in the NFL. It’s reported that Jackson will earn $260m (£206m) over the course of the deal, which equates to $52m (£41m) per year.
Wednesday saw the Ravens host their first voluntary practice session following the 2023 NFL Draft. The AFC North side drafted seven players last month, including wide receiver Zay Flowers, line-backer Trenton Simpson, edge Tavius Robinson, cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, offensive tackle Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and offensive guard Andrew Vorhees.
ESPN have reported that Jackson was not in attendance for the voluntary session. The Ravens are working on a new offense with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken but Jackson was not present for the first install session.
The Ravens are due to report for the first organised team activities on May 22. However, it was not stated whether Jackson would certainly be back for that date.
Monken would not give a definitive timeframe of when Jackson would be involved in full team practice. It’s also been stated that the current priority is to work with the new players that have arrived during the off-season, with the franchise insisting they know Jackson is preparing in the best way possible for the new season.
It’s not just the draft that has seen the Ravens sign new players during the off-season. Three wide receivers have been signed, with Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham Jr and Tarik Black all arriving to be part of Monken’s offense.
Those new additions are likely to be working as part of the voluntary practice sessions going into the full team activities planned for later this month.
The Ravens will hope that the new additions will help them improve on the 10-7 record from the 2022 regular season. The 2022 season saw them beaten by the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round of the post-season.
Wednesday saw the news that the Ravens are one of the teams confirmed to be part of the NFL International series for the 2023 regular season. They will take on the Tennessee Titans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week Six on October 15.
