This offseason has been a whirlwind for quarterback Lamar Jackson. After having the franchise tag placed on him by the Baltimore Ravens, he was met with an ice-cold market as more teams came out and said they weren’t going to pursue him than teams wanted to pursue him.
It was a weird situation as a 26-year-old quarterback with an MVP on his resume that has won 73.4 percent of his regular-season starts would normally be in high demand. At one point he even asked the Ravens for a trade. But, for whatever reason, teams weren’t interested in acquiring Lamar Jackson.
His lack of success in the postseason could have played a part along with some injury concerns. Alas, players of that caliber do not come available often. Ultimately, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens agreed on a new five-year, $260 million deal.
What can we expect from the NFL’s new highest-paid player this year? Here are three early bold predictions for Lamar Jackson in the 2023 season.
3. Plays All 17 Regular Season Games
The biggest knock against Lamar Jackson right now is his ability to stay healthy. He appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, starting seven of them, but has missed at least one game in each of the subsequent four seasons. In the last two, he has missed five apiece.
Given his style of play and relatively slight frame, as he weighs only 212 pounds, injuries will be a concern. But, Lamar Jackson will be able to figure out how to limit the hits that he absorbs and will end up starting all 17 regular season games.
It will be the first time since 2018 that he plays in every regular season game and will put to rest the questions about his durability. For the Ravens to reach their potential, they need him to remain healthy.
2. Sets Career-High In Passing Yardage
In the first five seasons of Lamar Jackson’s career, there wasn’t a franchise in the NFL that committed as little assets, whether it be money or draft capital, to the wide receiver position as the Ravens. Heading into Year 6, that has finally changed.
The Ravens’ front office committed to upgrading the wide receiver depth chart this offseason. They signed Nelson Agholor in free agency before also adding Odell Beckham Jr. In the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, they selected Zay Flowers out of Boston College.
That trio will be joining 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman atop the depth chart, giving Lamar Jackson his deepest, most talented group of wide receivers of his career. With the upgrade in talent, he is going to easily surpass his previous career-high of 3,217 passing yards set in 2019. He will throw for at least 3,600 yards and be right back in the MVP running.
1. Ravens Win AFC North
Based on the top two early bold predictions, this is a natural third one. If Lamar Jackson can stay healthy and take advantage of the new weapons surrounding him, the Ravens are going to have a great season.
The AFC North is arguably the best division in football with the Cincinnati Bengals on the rise, Pittsburgh Steelers consistently being competitive and Cleveland Browns looking to bounce back. But, it will be the Ravens and Lamar Jackson coming out ahead.
Whenever he has been healthy, the team has been atop the division. That will occur again this season as Lamar Jackson will lead Baltimore to their third division title in six years of him being on the team.
