Aside from the inches he lost off his waistline, one of the most intriguing aspects of the Baltimore Ravens offseason program has been Jackson’s unusually frequent absences from Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
During a press conference this past Thursday, head coach John Harbaugh didn’t say much about the situation beyond adding, “It’s just this time of year.” He underlined that this is still a voluntary component of the offseason program.
“It’s really not something we comment on,” Harbaugh stated. “We can’t; it’s just the time of year. So I cannot speak for somebody who is not present. I very much understand why guys aren’t here most of the time, but not always. Nobody is required to inform you exactly what is going on, therefore I won’t be allowed to make particular comments about anyone in that way. But the boys who were here were fantastic, flying about, and those are the players we had a terrific time teaching.”
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the reigning league MVP has already missed enough of the team’s voluntary exercises to lose a $750,000 workout incentive clause in his contract.
“To qualify, he must participate in 80 percent of the offseason workouts, excluding mandatory minicamp,” said Florio. “He has already missed too many workouts, we’re told, to earn the $750,000 this year.”
“The annual $750,000 payout was originally thought to be offseason roster bonuses. That is not the case; these are exercise benefits. Failure to earn the bonus reduces his 2024 salary from $32.5 million to $31.75 million.”
Lamar Jackson's offseason absences have kept him from earning a $750,000 workout bonus. https://t.co/UrCOAwFzJI
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 1, 2024
A six-figure wage exceeds what the vast majority of Americans and even a subset of NFL players earn in a year. However, for a multi-millionaire like Jackson, who just over a year ago signed a five-year contract deal worth $52 million per year, $750,000 is nothing to worry about. However, it begs the issue of why agree to include such bonuses in the contract in the first place if ensuring they are met isn’t a top concern.
There are numerous valid reasons why players miss out on the optional phase of their team’s offseason programs. For example, Harbaugh stated that veteran wide receiver and projected starting return specialist Deonte Hardy has been absent from OTAs thus far due to the birth of his child.
Jackson could have a different, but equally good, reason for not attending. However, Florio would be correct about one thing regarding the Ravens if his allegation is true: “$750,000 is $750,000.” And, for whatever reason, $750,000 is gone forever.”
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