Lamar Jackson Misses Out On $750,000 In Workout Bonuses By Skipping Voluntary OTAs
Lamar Jackson has been absent for most of the Baltimore Ravens' voluntary off-season program — costing him $750,000 in workout bonuses.
The All-Pro quarterback's contract includes a condition where he must participate in 80 percent of off-season workouts to earn the massive bonus, and he's already missed too many sessions to be eligible, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio. With Jackson not participating, veteran backup Josh Johnson has been taking reps with the starting offense.
"It's this time of year; it's a voluntary time," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "It's really not something that we comment on. We can't, and that's just the time of year it is. So I can't speak for anybody that's not here."
Voluntary OTAs are exactly that — voluntary. But when you're the team leader and the reigning league MVP, your absence is bound to raise questions.
"I pretty much know the different reasons guys aren't here most of the time, but not always," Harbaugh said. "Nobody's required to tell you exactly what's going on. So I'm not really specifically going to be able to comment on anybody that way. But the guys that were here were great flying around, and those are the guys we had a great time coaching."
According to The Athletic's Diana Russini, though, Jackson has been doing plenty of working out on his own. The QB is down to 205 pounds — 25 pounds down from his 2022 weight and 10 pounds less than his 2023 weight. He said he's highly motivated by last season's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.
"We worked so hard in getting there and [we] didn't do what we wanted to do, didn't fulfill our dream," Jackson said after an OTA workout on May 22. "[There's] definitely a little chip on our shoulder."
Lamar Jackson shows off his 2023 MVP trophy.
(Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Last season, at the age of 27, Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP since the merger. He set career highs with 3,678 passing yards and a 67.2 percent completion rate, leading the Ravens to the league's best record at 13-4.
He's also in the second year of a five-year, $260 million contract, which included a $72.5 million signing bonus. So he'll probably be fine without the $750,000 workout check.
The Ravens will hold their final four OTA practices next week. Baltimore's mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 11-13.
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