Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Fires Back at Injury Concerns

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson just can't keep himself out of the news lately. The 2019 MVP took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to defend himself from accusations that he was healthy enough to play at the end of the 2022 season but sat out in order to protect himself from injury as he approached free agency.

Let’s get real. I rather have a 100% PCL than go out there and play
horrible forcing myself to put my guys in a bad situation now that’s selfish to me.
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 29, 2023

Jackson suffered a knee sprain on December 4th that was initially projected to put him out for two to three weeks. It ended up costing him the final six games of the season, including the Ravens' Wildcard Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Star players enduring and overcoming injuries is a sensitive topic in the NFL. Jackson is right to point out that it would be selfish for him to play if his diminished self didn't give his team a better chance to succeed. Playing through injury is useless and narcissistic if a backup would do a better job.

That being said, injuries are part of the game. Playing well while hurt is a crucial trail for the greatest players in the game. In his defensiveness, Jackson has confessed a weakness. If sporting a less than 100% PCL renders him a worse player than backup quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Anthony Brown, then how can he claim to be an elite quarterback?

Jackson can't promise he'll avoid injuries for the rest of his career. If he's going to achieve what he wants to achieve (and make money commensurate with that success), he simply can't do it while missing multiple games per season.