Lamar Jackson: Love him or leave him?
Baltimore Sun readers weigh in on the injured quarterback and whether the Ravens should invest more in the superstar or cut their losses and let him go.
I love Lamar, but the Ravens need to replace him
Should Jackson be sent on his way as advocated by Mike Preston in a recent Sun commentary (“Mike Preston: It’s time for the Ravens and Lamar Jackson to part ways,” Jan. 16)? I cringe at the thought of being on the same side of this question as the idiot Jackson haters, but Mr. Preston is right.
I’m a Jackson fan! I love watching his highlights. I proudly wear his No. 8 shirt on game days, and no matter what happens I’ll continue to wear that shirt until it wears out! However, the Ravens have reached a point where they keep doing the same thing while expecting a different outcome — Einstein’s definition of insanity. At this point, I’m convinced that if the Ravens are going to progress it has to be with another QB.
— Jim Dempsey, Edgewood
Lamar is the heart and soul of the Ravens
The Ravens organization is failing their fans and their duty as a franchise right now. Professional football is an entertainment product attached to various cities and fan bases throughout the world. They would have been wise to pay attention to this great fact and have signed Lamar Jackson a year or two ago when the deal would have been much more feasible for everyone involved (“Despite weeks of intrigue surrounding Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s injury, teammates hope he’ll lead them into future,” Jan. 18).
The sad reality is that if Lamar Jackson is not a Baltimore Raven, due to this prolonged signing and contract process, the Ravens will have failed their mission. Lamar is a singular talent. When you think of him, think of the early impact of a Michael Vick, the Orioles youth movement in 2022 or Michael Jordan’s dominance in the 1990s. Losing Lamar also would lose a great portion of the fan base, despite their loyalty to the team that bears the name Baltimore.
When you think of the possibility of losing such a great talent, remember the hurt after Eddie was traded, the Mayflower trucks left with the Colts in the snowy night or the emptied stands when the Ravens’ players knelt in 2017. In particular, Lamar Jackson’s brand of football and personality resonates with youth and African Americans — the people who make up 62% of Baltimoreans! The name Baltimore can only get you so much leeway and grace when you are no longer entertaining, or the heart and soul of your team is somewhere else.
— Terence Benjamin Frasier, Baltimore
Lamar Jackson is already gone
Letter writer John F. Hasler of Sparks is asking why Lamar Jackson wasn’t even there on the sideline supporting his teammates (“Where was Lamar?” Jan. 18). The answer is simple: Lamar Jackson is already an ex-Raven. He spoke out of turn when he said “his knee was unstable,” and he gave the Bengals the assurance that they would be looking at second or third-string players at the QB position and could prepare accordingly.
Where is Lamar Jackson now? He has about $10 million in the bank at age 26 and will not take another snap or endure another hit without fully guaranteed money. He will probably demand around $3 million per game, guaranteed. He is in my view a selfish malingerer who has not seen the end of the previous two seasons. He never got vaccinated for COVID-19 and got it twice that we know about. I wonder how many of his teammates he infected with his “personal choice.”
Hopefully, the Ravens can get trade value for him. Steve Bisciotti should make a “personal choice” of his own and let “Mr. 1-3 in the playoffs” go. Or would that be a personnel choice? Jackson’s a great talent, but he’s a loser!
— George Hammerbacher, Baltimore
What would this Jim do?
Fans ask: Jim, Would you pay Lamar $250 million guaranteed?
Jim: No way!
He’s played 11 games in two years. I love his ability, but he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. A good agent would have this thing done. I’d guarantee 130 to 150 million and roll the dice. Package a big number after that and let him earn it. Otherwise, franchise him. He’ll have to show he’s a “gamer” on a franchise tag, or he won’t be worth squat. At least that way you know he’s going to show up and play well for at least a whole season. Then, see how it all works out when he’s then 27 in 2024.
— Jim Mundy, Ellicott City
The guys at the end of the bar have questions
When questioned about Lamar Jackson’s progress and a tweet the player made about his knee remaining unstable, Coach John Harbaugh said he wasn’t aware the commentary was coming and hadn’t “paid much attention to it” (“Ravens coach John Harbaugh mum on QB Lamar Jackson’s tweets about injured knee,” Jan. 13). The guys at the end of the bar Harbaugh has previously referenced when disparaging so-called “end-of-the-bar talk” find that answer strange. Has Lamar played his last game as a Raven? Is he not playing because of fear about injury before his contract negotiations? Or are the Ravens not playing him in fear of injury that would affect his marketability in a trade? But what do we know? We’re just the guys at the end of the bar.
— C. Bennett, Bel Air
Ravens should talk to Tom Brady
I think Lamar Jackson is just a little bit too fragile to be playing the type of running game football that he plays in this NFL. He’s been with the Ravens now since 2018, but missed so many games, he’s effectively been paid for a year he didn’t play.
I think Mike Preston’s right: It’s about time for Lamar to go. We need a well-rounded quarterback, one that can run and pass. Lamar can run, but he’s had five seasons to learn to pass, and he has failed at that.
Tom Brady, meanwhile, lives and breathes football, almost to the extent of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for football. He’s still in great shape and could probably go a couple more years. Wouldn’t it be great if we got Brady to come to Baltimore and play a couple of years?
Baltimore deserves a good quarterback like Brady to play a year or two, and give us time to find a good quarterback to replace him so he could finally go into retirement. Who knows, maybe Brady could take the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl one last time, or two, and win his eighth or ninth Super Bowl ring.
I don’t think we can afford to wait much longer for Lamar to learn to pass; either you have it or you don’t. We need a franchise quarterback, a well-rounded quarterback right now.
I think it’s time to see what kind of deal we can get on the trade for Lamar Jackson. Let’s not wait until he gets hit with the career-ending injury and then he’s worth nothing to us. We should talk to Brady, it couldn’t hurt to ask.
— Jeff Rew, Columbia
Time’s up for Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson could not even bother showing up to the Baltimore Ravens’ AFC playoff game. It is time for the Ravens to get rid of him.
— Mel Tansill, Catonsville
Send Jackson to Houston
The Ravens should trade Lamar Jackson with his baggage to the Houston Texans for their first-round draft choice, select another quarterback and move on. A few difficult years will follow to develop the quarterback and restructure their offense but anything is better than the turmoil being created by Lamar.
— Don Colburn, Havre de Grace