Baltimore Ravens teammate Zay Flowers insists that this season will showcase a new, upgraded version of quarterback Lamar Jackson, one that feels refreshed and ready to lead the team back to contention. The Ravens concluded last year with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after a crushing defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final week that cost them the AFC North crown. Jackson, a two‑time MVP, was sidelined for four games due to injury, and the Ravens stumbled out of the gate with a 1-5 start that forced them into a perpetual catch‑up mode. Even after returning, Jackson never quite reached the electrifying, game‑breaking form that defined his earlier years, but analysts predict he will return stronger as Baltimore re‑enters its Super Bowl pursuit this September.
"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 cemented himself as Jackson's most reliable target, having led the Ravens last season with 86 receptions for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns.
Jackson's statistical line from the previous campaign reads 192 completions on 302 attempts (a 63.6% completion rate) for 2,549 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while his rushing total dropped to a career‑low 349 yards—a stark contrast to the more than 695 yards he had amassed in every prior season. Despite the dip, Jackson remains one of the NFL's marquee faces and a cornerstone of any Super Bowl conversation.
He has overcome early‑career draft doubts to become one of the league's most versatile and dynamic play‑callers. "He stayed true to himself. He doesn't change for nobody," Flowers explained, highlighting the quarterback's consistency and authenticity.
"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." Flowers has had three seasons to absorb Jackson's wizardry, and younger teammates like second‑year receiver LaJohntay Wester are still awestruck. "It's crazy," Wester said. "Some of the things that he does, it's just unreal. I saw him scramble last year in practice and put the ball behind his back, like he was playing basketball.
That's something quarterbacks are not allowed to do. Quarterback coaches tell them 'that's something you don't do,' but it's Lamar Jackson, it's Lamarvelous." The offseason brought significant change to Baltimore. After 18 seasons under head coach John Harbaugh, the organization appointed former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as the new head coach. Flowers described the shift as a fresh opportunity for every player: "Everybody who didn't have a chance to prove themselves under Coach Harbaugh now gets a new chance with Jesse Minter.
You can feel that energy in the room with everybody. He brings energy.
Everybody wants to play. Everybody is super excited to get that opportunity to just start fresh and push for the same goal we all want – a Super Bowl." Wester echoed the sentiment, noting that the new coaching staff injected the energy the Ravens lacked last year.
"I'm very excited. New coaching staff, coach Jesse Minter, he is bringing a new energy into the building. I feel like that's something that the Ravens was missing last year, and we got it this year. Everybody is on board, they have a good plan for us," he said.
The Ravens have been knocking on the Super Bowl door for several years, falling short in the divisional round three times since 2019 and losing an AFC Championship to the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the 2023 season. Yet the franchise remains a central figure in the AFC power struggle, aiming to break the Chiefs' dominance and contend for the title again in 2026. Flowers summed up the competitive atmosphere: "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.' It only makes you better with great players around you. It's only going to push you to be the best version of yourself." Meanwhile, Wester, a sixth‑round pick from Colorado who spent most of his rookie year as a return specialist, sees his own future expanding.
"I'm a young guy, so just seeing guys like Zay, Derrick Henry, Lamar every day going hard, that made me want to go even harder just to impress them," he said. "I'm growing too, but these guys are already solidified. These guys are legends from my city. Just to be around them, you don't want to mess up.
You want to be on point. You want to have your ducks in order." Looking ahead, the combination of Jackson's renewed health, a revamped offensive scheme, and the invigorated leadership of Coach Minter could finally unlock the Ravens' championship potential.
The team will aim to translate the heightened energy in the locker room into consistent performance on the field, hoping that the fresh start promised by Flowers and his teammates will indeed materialize into a deep playoff run and, ultimately, a Super Bowl appearance.