Getty Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have five years to not let a Super Bowl slip through their grasp.
You can set the clock ticking for the Baltimore Ravens to win a Super Bowl within the next five years. That’s according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, who believes franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson signing a new deal and being equipped with new weapons, like 2023 NFL draft first-rounder Zay Flowers, gives these Ravens all they need to finally deliver a championship.
King made his feelings clear in his latest Football Morning in America column for Pro Football Talk: “Jackson saw what was being built around him, with a major boost at receiver in this off-season. I would expect the receiver group of Flowers, Odell Beckham Jr., and Rashod Bateman to be a big positive for a team that needed to upgrade out wide. Now Jackson should have a legitimate five-year run at trying to win the Super Bowl.”
The Ravens’ commitment to putting more talent around Jackson made it easier for him to sign a five-year $260 million deal. Those moves also make King’s timeframe more than realistic, especially if young playmakers on both sides of the ball reach their full potential sooner rather than later.
Lamar Jackson Chose Perfect Moment to Commit to Ravens
King applauded the Ravens for holding firm in contract talks with Jackson, but he also commended the 26-year-old for acknowledging his true market. Specifically, King thinks Jackson was wise to resist the push to accept fully guaranteed terms and nothing else.
As King pointed out, Jackson was never going to get a completely rubber-stamped deal “because he’d missed so much time with injuries—34 percent of the offensive snaps—in the last two Ravens’ seasons.”
Instead, Jackson relented at the right moment and benefited by exceeding what the Philadelphia Eagles gave to Jalen Hurts: “Now he has the richest deal ever, by $5 million total in injury guarantees ($185 million for Jackson, $180 million for Hurts).”
Jackson didn’t need to only read the marketplace to see where he should commit his future. The Ravens made his decision easier by signing Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency, then selecting Flowers 22nd overall either side of Jackson agreeing to a new deal.
Now Jackson enters a season with legitimate playmakers at wide receiver for the first time in his career. Both will give Jackson targets capable of turning any of his passes into big plays, with PFF College detailing how much Flowers thrives after the catch.
Baltimore selects Boston College WR Zay Flowers 22nd overall
🟣 503 YAC gained in 2022 (1st among ACC WRs)
Flowers being a YAC machine underneath and from the slot should open up space outside for Beckham and Rashod Bateman to stretch defenses vertically. This trio will also draw coverage away from All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews and gifted understudy Isaiah Likely.
Putting this quintet into a more expansive scheme called by new offensive coordinator Todd Monken will only help Jackson improve. Monken has historically utilized the pass more than predecessor Greg Roman, per Jake of JWB Fantasy Football.
Todd Monken’s offenses in the NFL:
2019 Browns: 539 pass attempts
2018 Buccs: 625 pass attempts
2017 Buccs: 605 pass attempts
2016 Buccs: 578 pass attempts
The Ravens under Greg Roman:
2022: 488 Pass attempts
2021: 611 Pass Attempts
2020: 406 pass attempts
2019: 440 pass…
Numbers and personnel add up to arguably the most dynamic dual-threat quarterback in the game being even in better in 2023 and beyond. Yet, Jackson’s expected improvement isn’t the only reason to believe the Ravens can make the most of King’s five-year window.
Ravens’ Young Core Perfect for 5-Year Title Window
Aside from Jackson, the Ravens have quietly assembled a core of potential stars. The nascent group includes 24-year-old running back J.K. Dobbins, who has proved his ability to be a game-breaker when healthy, notably by posting back-to-back 100-plus-yard performances on the ground last season.
Dobbins will still be a key player in Monken’s new-look offense, but it’s Likely who may respond best to the change in system. A fourth-round pick a year ago, the 23-year-old is a size and speed mismatch from anywhere on the field, something he showcased for this touchdown against the New Orleans Saints.
More than Likely a touchdown 😅 @DaGorilla4
📺: #BALvsNO on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/ItTaAQcu0C
Likely, Dobbins and Tyler Linderbaum, who bossed defensive lineman as a rookie center in 2022, form a nucleus capable of propelling Jackson to a title. Especially since there’s a similar bounty of young talent on the other side of the ball.
Safety Kyle Hamilton is a roving weapon who already looks well worth the 14th-overall pick in 2022. He’s joined by last year’s second-rounder David Ojabo, who flashed promise as a pass-rusher after losing most of his campaign because of a torn Achilles’ suffered at Michigan’s pro day.
Ojabo’s first NFL sack, against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, showed there’s plenty more to come from an athlete who can win off the edge like this.
FIRST SACK FOR OJABO AND GETS THE STRIP 👑
Tune in on CBS!
Ojabo, Hamilton and defensive linemen Travis Jones and Justin Madubuike can become the cornerstones of coordinator Mike Macdonald’s unit this season. Macdonald will also make good use of inside linebacker Trenton Simpson, who was named the “best value pick in Round 3” of this year’s draft by ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
The Ravens’ budding stars living up to their billing will position this team to compete at the top end of the AFC for the next five years. They’ll earn Super Bowl glory if their development is matched by Jackson’s dominance.