The NFL is on the verge of witnessing a rejuvenated Lamar Jackson this season, according to Baltimore Ravens teammate Zay Flowers. Following a disappointing 8-9 finish last season, which saw the Ravens miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021, Jackson is poised to return stronger. The two-time MVP missed four games due to injury and, despite his recovery, never quite reached his exceptional best.
However, with a new system in place, Jackson is expected to make a fresh start and deliver an improved performance. "They're going to see a different version this year," Flowers told Sky Sports. "Under a new system, he gets a fresh start. He's going to be healthy.
He's going to take care of himself, everything. You're going to see a new version of everybody, if I'm being honest. Soon, real soon, everybody. Real soon." Flowers has established himself as Jackson's most trusted target, leading the Ravens with 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns last year.
Jackson completed 192 of 302 passes for 2,549 yards and 21 touchdowns, while rushing for a career-low 349 yards. Despite this, he remains one of the premier faces of the NFL and a key figure in the Ravens' Super Bowl push. "He stayed true to himself.
He doesn't change for nobody," Flowers said of Jackson. "He doesn't change for anything going on in his life. He's always going to be him and you can count on that. And I feel like consistency and being yourself and having confidence in yourself and putting God first, you're always going to win.
There's nothing that can beat that. And that's what he got." The Ravens have undergone significant changes in the offseason, parting ways with head coach John Harbaugh and appointing Jesse Minter as his successor. The new coaching staff has brought a fresh energy to the team, with Flowers and fellow wide receiver LaJohntay Wester expressing their excitement about the upcoming season.
"It's a new opportunity for everybody," said Flowers. "Everybody who didn't have a chance to prove themselves the way they wanted to with under coach Harbaugh, they got a new chance with Jesse Minter.
And you can feel that energy in the room with everybody." The Ravens will be expected to compete from the front once more in 2026, with Jackson at the helm. "If you look around, you see Derrick Henry, then you look to your right and see Lamar Jackson, you're like, 'oh yeah, I got to get right, I got to grind and I got to put my best foot forward'," said Flowers. "It only makes you better with great players around you. It's only going to push you to be the best version of yourself."