Lamar Jackson is looking ahead to 2023 after finalizing his five-year contract to stay with the Baltimore Ravens.
The star quarterback held a press conference Thursday with head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta. With the contract situation finally in the rearview mirror, Jackson discussed his health entering the new season.
Per Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, Jackson said he’s fully medically cleared and his knee feels “great.”
Is Ravens QB Lamar Jackson fully medically cleared? “Yeah, I passed.”
All good with knee? “I’m great.”
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) May 4, 2023
Jackson missed the final six games last season, including Baltimore’s first-round playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Skeptics questioned whether the contract situation caused Jackson to sit, which led him to clarify his status on Twitter.
In January, Jackson wrote that he suffered a grade 2 sprain PCL sprain and was still experiencing inflammation in his knee.
It marked the second straight season Jackson ended on the sideline. He missed 2021’s final four games, all Ravens losses, with an ankle sprain.
Those setbacks will especially yield concerns now that Jackson inked a $260 million contract giving him the NFL’s highest average annual value. Perhaps the 26-year-old will stay in the pocket more after Baltimore added wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers.
Jackson told reporters he hopes to throw for 6,000 passing yards this season, which would shatter an NFL record and nearly double his personal high (3,127) set during his 2019 MVP campaign.