New Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter called for his team to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson after a season where he seemed more tepid to run the football much
12:02 ET, 25 Feb 2026
Lamar Jackson
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Lamar Jackson was under duress for most of the 2025 season(Image: Getty Images)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson logged a series of career-worsts, particularly in the rushing department, during a disappointing 2025 NFL campaign as his team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Jackson had a losing record (6-7) as a starter for the first time while logging lows in carries (67), rushing yards (349), and rushing touchdowns, a far cry from the tallies that helped him finish second in the NFL MVP vote just a year prior. Admittedly, he did struggle with a hamstring injury early in the year.
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Baltimore fired longtime coach John Harbaugh after the season, replacing him with Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Speaking with Rich Eisen at the NFL combine, Minter doesn't think Jackson is going to return to his frantic rushing peak amid a call to "protect" his "franchise player."
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I don't know if he needs to run more. I actually think there are times where he can run less," Minter revealed. "I think there are high leverage moments where the quarterback's willing to do what he needs to do to win the game, or win the play, or whatever it might be."
"And then I think there are times where, you know, this is a franchise player," he added, hinting at keeping Jackson healthy. "This is a guy you want to be the quarterback for a long, long time."
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"And so, there's a health element and a protection element that needs to be in place to where he's not taking some of the hits that he doesn't need to. So, I think it's a great balance there. You want him to be what's made him great."
Jackson's 2025 campaign saw him run under 100 times in a season for the first time in his career. For the player possessing the single-season rushing record for quarterbacks, this is a shocking downturn.
Jesse Minter
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Jesse Minter will look to get Lamar Jackson back on track in 2026(Image: Getty Images)
He averaged just 196.1 passing yards per game while throwing for 21 scores, both lowest since his rookie campaign. On the season, Jackson completed 63.6% of his passes for 2,549 yards with a 62.7 QBR in 13 starts.
Speaking with ESPN, former MVP winner Matt Ryan noted Jackson's return from his early-season hamstring injury as a key factor.
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"Even coming back [from injury], I think what often gets discounted is you're available to play, but it's just hard to be sharp when you're not practicing, and you're missing time during the week," he said.
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"And even when you are [practicing], you're laboring to get through it. So I think that makes it a little bit more difficult."