Ravens' Jesse Minter Reveals His Expectation for Lamar Jackson Before 2026 NFL Season
Lamar Jackson had a rough 2025 by his own standards and he'd probably be the first to admit it. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback missed time due to injuries and never quite looked like the player who won the MVP in 2023 and came close to claiming it again in 2024.
Now Baltimore is hitting reset with new head coach Jesse Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle in place and expectations are already building ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
Jesse Minter spoke with ESPN's Kevin Clark ahead of the NFL Draft and did not shy away from sharing his early read on Jackson and his expectations for the 2026 season.
"I think he's in a great place. He's excited about the kind of a new offense and learning some new stuff. So mentally, he's in a great place. He's an MVP-caliber player and he's one of, if not the top quarterback in the National Football League," Minter said. "I think there's just things that we're looking at to help him improve. Like, his improvements are gonna be really small, maybe not even noticeable by the viewers. But if he can make some of these real small gains, I think he can continue to play at the highest level."
Lamar Jackson's MVP resume faces familiar 2026 question
The numbers Jackson has put together over eight seasons in Baltimore tell a story most quarterbacks never get to write. He's thrown for 22,608 yards and 187 touchdowns while earning four Pro Bowl selections and two MVP awards.
Even in a down year last season, he finished with a 103.8 passer rating, throwing for 2,549 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 13 games. The production was still there in stretches but the rhythm was off and Baltimore felt it on both sides of the ball.
Minter clearly understands what Baltimore's front office has believed for years. When Jackson is healthy and playing in a system built around what he does best the Ravens become a different team entirely. Even in a season that fell short of his peak, the flashes were still showing up and that's the kind of talent that doesn't just disappear.
The one thing that hasn't changed is the conversation around Jackson in January. For all the regular-season brilliance, the postseason has repeatedly handed him a different script. Defenses have figured out ways to disrupt Baltimore's offense at the worst moments and that narrative has stuck.
Heading into 2026 another MVP run isn't really the point. Jackson has already proven what he can do in the regular season.
The real measure now is whether he can stay healthy bring that same level of play into the playoffs and finally get the Ravens to the Super Bowl stage they've been chasing.
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 2:42 PM.