“That Guy’s Not Coming Back”: Lamar Jackson Claimed to Have Lost a Step Amid Uncertain Ravens Future

Lamar Jackson may be coming off another elite season, but questions about his evolution as a quarterback continue to follow him. Some believe that the Ravens superstar is no longer the same athlete who once terrorized defenses with 60-yard touchdown runs. So, has he lost his step?

Answering this question on an episode of 3 And Out, former NFL scout John Middlekauff said:

“I don’t really hear anyone talking about how there was a year Lamar Jackson built up his way. Do you think it might be something he should think about doing again? I think the guy that we saw early on in his career, 60-yard touchdown, double 360s in the open field; it was like Michael Vick on steroids. It was incredible. That guy’s not coming back.

“Now, whatever he is now is still faster than basically everyone in the league. I think he’s got to find a happy medium of how to stay healthy, what the right body type is for him to feel comfortable, what’s good on his muscles. I think the key to them finding the perfect blend of offense for him, whatever that may be.

“Remember, early on it was like, Greg Roman kinda doing like the Kaepernick thing, and then he was a much better passer than that. It just got expanded, expanded, expanded. He won MVPs with it. I’m fascinated to see what they’re going to look like this year.”

Looking back at the early stage of his career, particularly the 2019 MVP season, Jackson was noticeably lighter and more explosive. He depended on speed and agility, and constantly created highlight-reel runs. Take the Week 7 game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, for example. The Ravens faced a 4th-and-2 at the Seattle 8-yard line. John Harbaugh originally sent the field goal unit out. 

But Jackson came up with a different plan, took the snap, saw the interior lanes collapse, and broke the structural design of the play to bounce outside. It all ended with a game-changing touchdown. In the end, he threw for 143 yards and ran for 116 yards for a touchdown in a 30-16 win over Seattle. That’s synonymous with Michael Vick’s ability to abandon a broken play design and rely on game-breaking perimeter speed that the opponent’s defense can’t match. 

Last season, he played 13 games and completed 63.6% of 302 passes, for 2,549 yards. That’s a significant fall from his 66.7% accuracy over 4,172 yards in 2024. He is still fast and elusive, even though his rushing yards dropped from 915 yards to 349 yards in the last two years. 

Has Lamar Jackson lost a STEP? @JohnMiddlekauff answers a mailbag question & explains why he’s fascinated to see what the Baltimore Ravens QB looks like in 2026. pic.twitter.com/lp4OSfMjmi

— 3 & OUT with John Middlekauff (@3andout_pod) June 23, 2026

Last week, Colin Cowherd pointed out that Jackson regressed in the 2025 season. And the blame was on his hamstring, ankle, knee, and toe injuries. With the kind of numbers the Ravens recorded last year, many were surprised to see them in the playoffs. 

But he has still improved. Some of the credit goes to coach Greg Roman, who made Jackson a better passer. And even after Roman moved away from the Ravens in 2022, Jackson went on to claim MVP in 2023. Now, he’s a more avid passer with a high completion rate, and that’s something that the Ravens seem to like. Yet, his contract remains in uncertain waters. 

In late April 2026, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta revealed his confidence regarding Jackson’s stay in Baltimore. Right now, Jackson has two more years and $104 million remaining on his current contract. But last year’s performance was arguably not enough for the Ravens to retain him. 

The Ravens freed up about $40 million in cap space for the season. They converted $49.5 million of Jackson’s base salary into a signing bonus.

Now, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Ravens need to guarantee the $52 million that they owe Jackson in 2027. On top of that, they’d need to guarantee more than $100 million of the new money for 2030 or 2031. That is if the Ravens decide to extend his contract. 

Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay claimed that with a rising salary cap, age, and contributions around Jackson, his next contract will reset the QB market for good. After all, the Ravens need a healthier, smarter, and far more balanced Lamar Jackson. They can no longer rely purely on his athletic supremacy to bail out the offense on every single snap. Instead, they need him to dissect defenses from the pocket. 

As Baltimore works through the schemes and contract discussions, the ultimate challenge will be to find the balance between the cerebral passer that Jackson has now become and the rushing quarterback that he once was. 

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