Lamar Jackson called John Harbaugh’s firing a shock, then backed the owner who pulled the trigger and doubled down on his commitment to Baltimore.
Speaking at the Ravens’ OTA facility on Wednesday, Jackson addressed Harbaugh’s departure for the first time publicly since Baltimore made the stunning decision to move on from its head coach of 17 seasons.
Lamar Jackson ‘Absolutely’ Wants To Be On Ravens, ‘Shocked’ By John Harbaugh’s Axe
Jackson didn’t hesitate when asked where his future lies. “Absolutely,” the three-time All-Pro said, per The Baltimore Sun. “I love the Ravens. I love this organization. I love this city. This is the team that drafted me. They got a lot of love for me. I got a lot of love for the city and this team, as well.”
That answer matters. Jackson is entering the fourth year of a five-year, $260 million deal, and a restructure completed in March lowered his 2026 cap hit considerably. OverTheCap shows his cap charge dropped from $74.5 million to $34.54 million this season. The deal’s mechanics shifted his 2027 cap hit up to $84.49 million and added a void year in 2030. A restructure converts base salary into a signing bonus, spreading the cap obligation across future years rather than concentrating it in one.
His average annual value of $52 million currently ranks him ninth among active quarterbacks, per OverTheCap, a figure that will draw attention when the next round of extensions reshapes the market.
Lamar Jackson Fired Up for 2026 Ravens Season With New Coaching Staff captures just how invested Jackson is in what Baltimore is building under new head coach Jesse Minter.
Lamar Jackson was ‘shocked’ by Ravens’ seismic John Harbaugh firing
The firing blindsided Jackson the same way it caught the rest of the league off guard.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach,” Jackson said Wednesday at OTAs. “I was shocked in a way, in a sense. But I felt like Mr. Steve [Bisciotti] did what was best for the team.”
That’s a careful, deliberate answer from a quarterback who spent his entire NFL career under Harbaugh. Jackson didn’t undercut the owner. He didn’t eulogize the era. He framed the decision as a business call and moved on, which itself says something about where his head is heading into 2026.
Jackson also reached out after Harbaugh landed with the New York Giants. “I hope Coach Harbaugh has a great time in New York,” Jackson said. “Hats off to Coach Harbaugh because he did so much for the city, for the team, and for this organization. So, we should give him credit in New York. We built a lot. We did a lot here.”
After the Giants announced their hire, Jackson messaged Harbaugh directly. The gesture reflects the relationship of eight years together, one Super Bowl ring between them in franchise history, and a partnership that produced two MVP seasons for Jackson but never returned Baltimore to the Super Bowl stage.
Pro Football Reference credits Jackson with a 76-31 regular-season record during his starting career, paired with a 3-5 postseason mark, a body of work defined by regular-season brilliance that couldn’t quite break through in January.
The Ravens’ official Instagram captured Jackson’s full media session at OTAs, including his comments about Harbaugh’s departure and his message to Baltimore fans.
Harbaugh’s 180-113 regular-season record over 17 years in Baltimore included 13 playoff wins and Super Bowl XLVII, per Pro Football Reference. Baltimore’s failure to make the 2025 playoffs, posting a losing record for the first time since 2021 was the breaking point for ownership. New York hired Harbaugh less than two weeks after the Ravens fired him, making him the first head coach hired in the 2026 cycle.
The Giants then added former Ravens players Isiah Likely, Patrick Ricard, Jordan Stout, and Ar’Darius Washington, giving Harbaugh familiar faces as he attempts to rebuild a struggling NFC East franchise.
Calais Campbell Signs One-Year Deal to Return to Baltimore Ravens is one example of how Baltimore has moved quickly to restock around Jackson under new leadership.
Lamar Jackson Shares Same Excitement About New Coaching Staff As Ravens Fans
Jackson didn’t just accept the change; he’s embracing it.
“I can say it’s refreshing,” Jackson told reporters Wednesday. Everything is basically just new, besides upstairs.
Minter, who served under Harbaugh on the Ravens’ staff from 2017 to 2020 before becoming the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator, brings a familiar face with fresh authority. Jackson’s read on him is straightforward. “He’s a cool coach,” Jackson said. “He always has a smile on his face. Every time I come in the building, you’re always smiling. You don’t know what Coach is thinking; he just smiles, and that’s great.
New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will be Jackson’s fourth different play-caller since entering the league, a number that would concern most quarterbacks. Jackson doesn’t see it that way. He and Doyle are the same age, separated by just 10 months, and Jackson sees that as a benefit rather than a warning sign. “When he sees things on film and calls certain plays, I know what he’s thinking within the play call,” Jackson said. “It’s just making my job a lot easier, and it’s awesome to have.”
The Ravens included Jackson in the coaching search; he helped evaluate Minter, Doyle, and new quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork, who replaced Tee Martin. Having that input, Jackson said, “means a lot. ” Minter and Doyle flew to South Florida to meet Jackson in person shortly after their hires were made official, despite having already interviewed with him virtually.
Jackson was limited to 13 games in 2025 due to hamstring and back injuries, finishing with 2,549 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 103.8 passer rating while completing 63.6% of his passes, per Pro Football Reference. He added 349 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Baltimore missed the playoffs, a result that accelerated everything that followed, from Harbaugh’s exit to the overhaul that’s now underway.
Ravens Sign Heisman Runner-Up Diego Pavia to 3-Year UDFA Deal reflects how Baltimore’s roster reconstruction extends well beyond the coaching staff.
For context on how Baltimore’s playoff absence fits into the broader AFC North picture and the league’s postseason format, How Many Teams Make the NFL Playoffs? (2025–26 Format, Bracket Breakdown & 2024 Recap) breaks down the qualification structure.
The 30-year-old Jackson goes into 2026 healthy, invested, and, by his own word, going nowhere. The Ravens have rebuilt the staff around him. The AFC North competition hasn’t softened. What happens next in the post-Harbaugh era in Baltimore starts when the regular season does and Jackson made clear Wednesday he intends to be the one leading it.
