The Ravens kicked off voluntary OTAs on Tuesday without Lamar Jackson, whose eventual week-long absence sparked a new wave of discussion centered around the former MVP quarterback.
Jackson’s decision to skip the sessions drew the ire of NBC Sports analyst and former QB Chris Simms during Thursday’s episode of Pro Football Talk. Simms, who retired in 2009 after playing five seasons, compared Jackson to Tom Brady after recalling the young star’s previous comments about wanting to be the Brady of his era and win multiple Super Bowls.
“Brady wouldn’t be missing OTAs in year four of his career,” Simms said. “Brady didn’t miss an OTA until he had played in four Super Bowls … From the football standpoint, I just don’t get it.”
Simms’s remarks prompted a response from Jackson on social media, who made it clear he did not appreciate the unfair criticism.
“Lamar wants to be Lamar Chris,” he wrote Friday on Twitter. “This part of OTAs is Voluntary my Guy I will be there, just not on your watch it’s probably other QBs not attending Voluntary OTAs either but since it’s Lamar it’s a huge deal. Find something else to talk about.”
Jackson ended his message with a shout-out to his training coach Adam Dedeaux, the CEO of elite QB training academy, 3DQB.
Jackson, a 2019 All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, is coming off an ankle injury that forced him to miss Weeks 15–18 as Baltimore would fall short of the postseason for the first time in five years.
The 2018 first-round pick also enters Year 5 without a new contract, which notably remains a hot-button issue. Barring any changes, Jackson is currently set to earn roughly $23 million in 2022.
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