Harbaugh attributes Jackson’s absence online to ‘time of year’

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens go most of the spring without an NFL MVP.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed four of the team’s first five voluntary activities (OTAs), including Thursday’s one. With Jackson out, veteran backup Josh Johnson was the starting quarterback of the offense.

“It’s that time of year, it’s volunteer time,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s not something we can really comment on. We can’t comment on it, and this is the time of year we live in. So I can’t speak for anyone who’s not here.”

Outside of 2022, when Jackson was in contract negotiations, the quarterback was a starter for Baltimore’s OTAs. This year, Jackson missed the first over-the-air event, attended the second, then skipped the final three. On Tuesday, Jackson was the only player absent from Baltimore’s offense.

After attending the OTA event on May 22, Jackson talked about how the 17-10 loss in the AFC Championship Game still motivates him.

“We worked so hard to get there and we didn’t do what we wanted to do, we didn’t achieve our dream,” Jackson said. “We definitely have some hard feelings.”

Jackson is in the second year of a five-year, $260 million contract, which included a $72.5 million signing bonus. Last season, at age 27, Jackson became the youngest player to be named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player twice since the merger. He set career highs with 3,678 yards and a 67.2% completion rate, leading the Ravens to a league-best 13-4.

Harbaugh did not reveal whether he knew why Jackson missed most volunteer practices.

“I know very well the different reasons why men aren’t here most of the time, but not all the time,” Harbaugh said. “No one is obligated to tell you exactly what’s going on. So I won’t be able to comment on anyone in that particular way. But the people who were here were great at flying, and those are the people we enjoyed the exercise with.”

The Ravens will hold their final four over-the-air (OTA) practices next week. Baltimore’s mandatory minicamp is June 11-13.

Asked if he expected Jackson to return to training next week, Harbaugh said: “It’s something I can’t really comment on. So I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”