Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has often been questioned about his lack of participation in offseason workout programs throughout his NFL career. His teammate, wide receiver Zay Flowers, recently shed some light on the two-time MVP as the Ravens are heading in a new direction for the first time in 18 years after head coach John Harbaugh was fired.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Serves God First, Says Zay Flowers
Jackson notably missed voluntary offseason workouts in 2022, 2024, and 2025. In 2022, he missed OTAs to train independently, clarifying to the media that his absence was not contract-related. In 2024, he skipped almost 10 voluntary OTAs; however, he still showed up for mandatory minicamp. Last year, he missed enough workouts to forfeit $750,000 in bonuses tied to participation.
While such conduct could leave an impression of negligence, Flowers, who’s been catching passes from Jackson for the last three years, opened up on the situation on the “4th And South” podcast.
“They think he doesn’t care because he ain’t showing up at the OTAs, and they’re thinking he’s missing out on money,” Flowers said. “But money doesn’t run L [Lamar]. He doesn’t really care about that. L is all into God. He’s big on God, bro. That’s what he’s supposed to do. That’s where he’s supposed to be at. That’s how he feels. L is gonna do everything that he thinks he’s supposed to do.”
Religion is a big part of many football players’ lives. Some of the most famous names include Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Tim Tebow, and Carson Wentz. Nick Foles, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win as a backup quarterback in 2018, also dedicated his success to God.
“[Jackson] reads the Bible every day,” Flowers added. “We talk about this every day, like, how people view him like, ‘Oh, he doesn’t care about the team — he doesn’t do this.’ Nah, it’s just, he knows he’s gotta take care of himself. Nobody else is gonna take care of you… So, he is going to take care of himself before anything. He is going to take care of his mental… He’s gonna do everything that he needs to do to get ready for the season.”
Jackson’s faith and football acumen have served him well in his NFL journey. While many didn’t believe he had the ability to successfully take the reins in Baltimore from longtime starter Joe Flacco, Jackson took over midway through the 2018 season and went on to win the NFL MVP in 2019.
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Jackson didn’t have a great year last season, and the Ravens missed the playoffs. According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, he ranked 12th among quarterbacks last season and had an impact score of 79.4.
However, the Ravens now have a new coaching staff. With Jackson healthy, the hope is that offensive coordinator Declan Doyle can get the star quarterback back to MVP level.
