BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was absent from practice again Wednesday, dampening hopes that he might return to start the team’s playoff opener Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
As the Ravens prepare to play without their superstar, speculation around Jackson’s future with the team will rev up. He’s about to become a free agent, and fans from other cities are already choking social media with trade proposals for the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player.
Jackson has not practiced or played since he suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the Ravens’ 10-9 victory over the Denver Broncos on the first weekend of December. Though Ravens coach John Harbaugh initially said the injury was not season-ending and expressed optimism that Jackson would be back for the playoffs as recently as two weeks ago, he never put a definite timeline on his franchise quarterback’s recovery.
