Baltimore Ravens may have drafted quarterback if Lamar Jackson had not agreed new deal, says head coach John Harbaugh | NFL News

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh adds that Lamar Jackson is “one of a kind” and has ‘changed the dynamic’ with regards to the perception of the quarterback position; Jackson signed a new $260m deal with the Ravens ahead of the Draft in April

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Ravens head coach John Harbaugh revealed Lamar Jackson agreed his new deal just four hours before the 2023 draft, meaning they were starting to consider drafting in another quarterback as their first-round pick

Head coach John Harbaugh admits the Baltimore Ravens may have been forced to target a first-round quarterback had Lamar Jackson not agreed his new long-term deal hours before the 2023 NFL Draft.

Jackson and the Ravens ended their apparent stand-off over a long-awaited pay-day on April 27 when the former league MVP agreed to terms on a five-year $260m contract having requested a trade a month earlier.

It would make him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time based on an average annual salary of $52m per year, only for Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to leapfrog him on that front with his new five-year $262.5m extension in July.

Jackson and the Ravens are due to play in London later this year

“I was excited about it because it was before the draft and I didn’t have to worry about it,” a smiling Harbaugh told Sky Sports.

“He agreed to his deal about four hours before the draft so we were right up to crunch time there.

“Would we have taken a quarterback in the first round if he hadn’t signed? You never know.

“We might have had to, thought we needed to, so to get that done was something that was really valuable.”

The Ravens ultimately used their No 22 overall pick on Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, adding the cherry to Jackson’s new deal in the form of a new dynamic playmaker.

Before then, three quarterbacks had flown off the board in the first four picks as the Carolina Panthers drafted Bryce Young, followed by CJ Stroud to the Houston Texans and Anthony Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts, leaving Will Levis on the board until he was finally taken by the Tennessee Titans at the beginning of round two.

The introduction of Flowers adds to that of Odell Beckham Jr in free agency and the appointment of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken in fuelling a revamped Ravens offense expected to underline the passing talents of its quarterback.

Jackson has dazzled as the most gifted pure runner under center since entering the league in 2018, notably rushing for an NFL quarterback record 1,206 yards while passing for 3,127 yards and a league-high 36 touchdowns on his way to winning MVP in 2019.

“He’s one of a kind,” added Harbaugh.

“Lamar is a guy who in ways changes the dynamic, he’s moved forward the understanding and shared view of what a quarterback looks like in terms of how he should play the game.

“Now you see guys come into the league who play a lot like Lamar that would have been talked about more in the past.

“But Lamar is a guy they talked about, and now it’s more acceptable.”

Jackson missed the final six games of last season, including the playoff defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, due to a sprained PCL.

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