Baltimore Ravens new offensive coordinator Todd Monken made a surprise admission Tuesday, saying that he hasn’t “had a chance” to talk with any of the players since his hiring.
With former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson‘s future with the organization very much up in the air, those words from Monken will likely cause serious concern among Ravens fans.
As the franchise tag window opened on Tuesday, ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley noted that in order for a new deal to be agreed upon, either Baltimore or Jackson is “going to have to compromise” and there are still “a lot of uncertainties” surrounding the situation.
While Hensley added that there’s been “no indication” of late that the two sides have made any progress on contract negotiations, Monken didn’t seem worried about the issue on Tuesday.
Among those to praise Monken’s hiring when he was brought in last week was former Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant. The 2020 member of the Ravens and longtime Dallas Cowboys standout indicated on Twitter that he believed the decision to add Monken was made to keep Jackson from leaving the team.
It was reported in early February that Jackson was expected to receive the franchise tag from Baltimore and the sense was that it would be the exclusive franchise tag.
The 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowler missed the final four-plus regular season games of the 2022 regular season — and the team’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — due to a sprained PCL.
Jackson finished the year with a 62.3% completion percentage for 2,242 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions while registering 112 carries for 764 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
