Everyone has an opinion on voluntary spring workouts, and that wasn’t going to change with the Ravens having a new head coach for the first time in 18 years.
Of course, the real focus is on two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and how much he’ll be present after his attendance was scarce over the last couple springs. It’s not a secret that this goes against the grain from traditional expectations for starting quarterbacks to attend voluntary organized team activities. That said, Jackson had arguably the best season of his career in 2024 after skipping voluntary OTAs that spring and even forgoing a sizable workout bonus.
To suggest OTAs carry no value is pandering to the NFL Players Association and a slap in the face to the coaching staff and the overwhelming number of players who take part every year. But we also don’t need to pretend that anyone is remembering what happened in April and May as disproportionally critical to what a team accomplishes — or doesn’t — come December or January. Coaches clearly want players to attend to begin preparations for the new season as soon as possible, but there’s also an element of control and even babysitting at work in which organizations want to keep tabs on players.
That said, this spring is very different with head coach Jesse Minter and an almost entirely new staff in charge as the Ravens turn the page from the John Harbaugh era. We’re no longer talking about Jackson having the same head coach he’s had for his entire career or the same offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as these last few years. There’s going to be a critical learning curve for everyone involved on a team still carrying high expectations despite missing the playoffs in 2025, and that goes beyond the X’s and O’s. It’s why we’ve heard Minter repeatedly mention how much time it takes to build relationships with players.
This will be a tone-setting spring for this football team, so the presence of its most valuable player and other veteran leaders will be more important than usual.
We heard offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s strong endorsement for players needing to be there earlier this month before general manager Eric DeCosta gave an NFLPA-friendly — and less convincing — answer when asked about Jackson’s spring attendance this week. However, it was Minter’s measured response as a guest on Chris Simms Unbuttoned in Indianapolis that nailed the sweet spot of the debate between the old-school mentality and expecting nothing but the bare minimum.
“Lamar has had unbelievable success doing it both ways [with attendance], so there’s certainly a balance there,” Minter said. “But I think it’s our job to create an environment and a learning opportunity where they feel like it’s really important to them to want to be there. Like, ‘Man, this is high-level stuff, and this stuff’s going to help us.’ I think [it’s] the feeling of what we’re doing now will pay off in September and October and November versus, ‘OK, we’re coming in and we’re kind of doing the same routine.’
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“It just needs to be an environment that they really feel the importance of it.”
That’s not to say Harbaugh and the previous staff didn’t cultivate such a feeling with the spring program, and it’s also important to note that no one knows exactly what to expect from a new regime in its first offseason, making Minter’s point less critical now than it will become in subsequent offseasons. But the arguments for Jackson — or any other veteran whose standing is secure — needing to be there for spring workouts must extend beyond going through the motions and simply saying, “We pay you, and that’s the way it’s always been done.”
Of course, how contract extension talks go between Jackson and DeCosta could also play a major role in determining whether the Ravens can expect their star quarterback to be in regular attendance this spring.
