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Lamar Jackson is a fan of his new play-caller.
Speaking to the media Wednesday for the first time since last season’s finale in Pittsburgh, Jackson discussed his relationship with new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle.
Jackson said the new coaching staff is “a breath of fresh air,” and he’s enjoyed the new scheme that Doyle has brought to Baltimore from Chicago.
“I’m having fun with it,” Jackson said. “All of us are having fun with the new system and [with] what he sees on the field and what he sees on film. … It’s smooth. Just know I love it and everyone else loves it.”
Doyle marks Jackson’s fourth play-caller in his nine-year career, joining Todd Monken, Greg Roman and Marty Mornhinweg. Jackson said he’s had great conversations with Doyle as the two continue to build rapport. The two-time MVP said it means a lot to have that partnership with Doyle, a first-time play-caller.
“He wants me to be involved a lot. That’s why I believe Coach Jesse [Minter] brought him along, and we’re having fun with it,” Jackson said.
“It means a lot, because I feel like I should know what Coach [Doyle] is thinking when he is calling certain plays on the field. So, it should make my job a lot easier.” Head Coach Jesse Minter enjoyed watching Jackson and the offense continue to gel during Wednesday’s practice.
“He’s been here a lot, so it’s not like it’s the first time hearing some of these plays, but it’s the first time being able to run them at some speed with defense out there,” Minter said. “Every play is a great advantage for him to keep getting better and keep learning.”
As he’s said before, Jackson reiterated that he prefers to keep contract extension negotiations between him and General Manager Eric DeCosta private, but the two-time MVP would “absolutely” like to stay with the Ravens.
“I love this organization, I love this city,” Jackson said. “This is the team that drafted me and got a lot of love for me – I believe – and I have a lot of love for the city and this team, as well.”
The Ravens restructured Jackson’s contract this offseason, lowering his cap hit for 2026 to $34.4 million and raising his 2027 cap hit from $74.5 million to $84.49 million, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. Without an extension, Jackson would be a free agent in the 2028 offseason.
Jackson’s hamstring injury in Week 4 against the Chiefs was the first time he was forced out of a game last season, but his ailments didn’t begin in Kansas City.
Jackson said he first realized he wasn’t at 100 percent during the Ravens’ Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions, when Jackson was unable to pull away from a Lions defensive lineman.
“I couldn’t really burst [in the] Detroit game, but I didn’t know what it was,” Jackson said. “I just thought it was just nagging until we played the Chiefs, and I tried to do a move. I just felt my hamstring just like … I can’t even describe it to you this year. It’s crazy. But when it happened, it happened.”
Jackson said the Week 1 hit from Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver was not the cause of any injury, as some speculated. He views his injury-hampered season last year as an aberration, and he doesn’t expect his athletic gifts to go away any time soon.
“I mean, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that happened last year,” Jackson said. “People need to enjoy great things when [they are] happening. Don’t try to prepare for when things don’t go their way. That’s what I feel. Just enjoy it.”
After saying last week that he expected to see a rotation at center, Minter said Wednesday that the starting center position is a three-man race.
“We just want to give those guys a bunch of different reps with our offense, a bunch of different reps with the different interior linemen that they’re playing next to, different quarterbacks that they’re handling, cadences and things like that,” Minter said.
Candidates for the center job include veterans Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn, third-year player Corey Bullock, and undrafted rookie Nick Dawkins.
Pinter took the first-team reps last week as OTAs opened and Gwyn snapped to Jackson on Wednesday.
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