Steve Young sends message to Ravens about Lamar Jackson

Jan 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Steve Young on the ESPN Monday Night Countdown set before a NFC Wild Card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens need to do right by Lamar Jackson if they want him to be one of the best quarterbacks ever, according to Steve Young.

In an appearance on the “This Is Football” podcast, Young said he viewed Jackson’s 2023 season as a “transitional” one. He argued that Jackson has all the tools to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in history, but the Ravens need to move away from their “fanaticism” regarding the run and give Jackson as many weapons as possible.

I asked Steve Young about Lamar Jackson. I got some of the best insight I’ve heard on Lamar’s season last year.

“Obviously the championship game was a complete bummer but it doesn’t negate the advancement they’ve made as an organization to give Lamar Jackson the chance to be the… pic.twitter.com/UdI2RE1jSl

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) June 13, 2024

“The arc of his career has been slowed by Baltimore’s fanaticism with the run. They have come out of that trance and they’re trying to transition,” Young said. “I thought that Lamar has tried to lead his game into a more sophisticated passing game, which is what he needs to be one of the best that ever played. I’m going to take this as a transition season which I thought was very successful. Obviously the championship game was a complete bummer, but it doesn’t negate the advancement that they’ve made as an organization to give Lamar Jackson a chance to be the greatest that every played. He can’t get there unless you allow him to be a sophisticated passer of the football.

“They got the coach. They need more help at wide receiver. They need another tight end. Look at the talent that Brock Purdy has. Give Lamar Jackson that talent around him, ask him to be a sophisticated passer, and you will not be able to stop him in any shape or form.”

To be fair to the Ravens, they added Derrick Henry in the offseason, and Zay Flowers looked like a quality receiver as a rookie in 2023. Young is correct that the team finally started to move away from the run last year, and Jackson rewarded them with a career-high 3,678 passing yards and an MVP award.

Jackson has made some changes this offseason that will hopefully help him as a passer. Young is a clear believer in his skill, but thinks the Ravens simply have to work with him.