Why the Arrival of Two-Time MVP for Voluntary Workouts Is a Big Deal for the Ravens
On April 6th, 2026, the Ravens opened the doors and welcomed back their veterans for the beginning of voluntary workouts. Names like Derrick Henry, Kyle Hamilton, Justice Hill, Zay Flowers, Tavius Robinson, and many more appeared for the first day of the 2026 NFL Offseason Workout Process. This nine-week program is broken into three phases, with the first being meetings, strength, and conditioning. No appearance means more to the Baltimore Ravens than two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson.
For years, Lamar Jackson has skipped the voluntary workouts, but there is a new era beginning in Baltimore. This is the first offseason under first-year head coach Jesse Minter and an entirely new staff with Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator and Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator. In previous media appearances, Jesse Minter was non-committal on whether Jackson would appear for the voluntary workouts. “I know Lamar’s excited. I think he is excited about some of the changes. We’ve had a lot of good connection points, but the offseason program is voluntary, and we’re excited to get a chance to work with all of the guys, whoever wants to show up. We feel confident that a lot of guys will be there.” The former Louisville QB was not the only headline Raven to appear at the voluntary workouts. Free agent acquisition Trey Hendrickson was also at the Under Armour Performance Center.
League rules state that the first phase, which lasts two weeks, is strictly team meetings, personal strength, and conditioning workouts. The second phase would be more of phase one, plus non-contact group drills on the field, and perfecting the newly installed plays as a group. The third phase would be the first two phases, combined with non-contact scrimmages, piecing together everything the team has worked on since the beginning of the voluntary workouts. After OTAs in May and June, the mandatory minicamp will start in June, and the 2026 Training Camp begins in late July, running through the NFL Preseason.
Jumping back to the present, having a high attendance rate in the first phase, especially for the Ravens, is crucial because of the entirely new system and culture that Minter and his coaching staff are looking to implement. It would be different if there were a small playbook change. Fans will be looking at a team with a whole new identity in terms of playbook composition, in addition to updated threads, unofficially announced by all Ravens jerseys heavily discounted on all jersey distributors like DICK’s Sporting Goods, Fanatics, the Ravens shop, the NFL shop, and many more.
While the uniform information is irrelevant, what isn’t irrelevant is the fact that Lamar Jackson decided to forego his personal training in South Florida to sit in on the installation of a new system. The native of Pompano Beach, FL, is coming off one of the worst years of his career, fighting through injuries all season, rushing for a career low of 349 yards, and missing the playoffs for the second time in his eight-year career. It seems pointless for any player, not just a QB, who makes the most on his team by over $10 million, to skip out on important meetings that will introduce the new system, revised culture, and add championship standards, noted by former Bears and current Ravens OC, Declan Doyle. “We would expect players to be here and, certainly, it is voluntary, but, if you want to say that you’re going to win a championship, you want to say that you have championship standards, and those are your goals and your expectations,” said Doyle. “That’s going to take the beginning of building the relationship with their coaches and other players, starting off this next regime on the right foot.”
It is also worth noting that in recent years, when Lamar would skip these voluntary workouts, he would also forfeit close to one million dollars of bonuses. So not only would the Ravens benefit from having their two-time MVP QB in the meeting rooms, Jackson would benefit by adding some extra cash to his bank account, especially by restructuring his deal by nearly $40 million. At the end of the day, Baltimore Ravens football is slowly starting back up. Lamar Jackson and so many others showed up for voluntary workouts, playbooks are beginning to be installed, and a new era is being created in Baltimore. With almost everyone present at the workouts, the next question becomes: who will the Ravens take with the 14th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at the end of April?
