Ravens GM: Lamar Jackson has more ‘urgency’ heading into 2024

Lamar Jackson has accomplished so much as an NFL quarterback and, certainly, more than many of his detractors said he would.

Most two-time MVPs don’t have much to prove, but Jackson has had one thing allude him so far in his career, and that’s been a run to the Super Bowl.

Such is life for teams in the AFC not named the Kansas City Chiefs as long as Patrick Mahomes is at the top of his game, but perhaps that’s why Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta feels he’s seen a different player this preseason.

Jackson still has all the physical talent in the world, but mentally, he’s different going into 2024.

“What I’ve noticed about Lamar really is more of an intangible thing,” DeCosta said on Thursday, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “His urgency as a leader, his urgency with the other players. He’s just really in tune with the other players every single day in practice. He’s so engaged with the coaches, he’s engaged with his teammates. Heck, he’s engaged with me.”

It’s become about winning for Jackson. Not that winning isn’t the goal of every NFL player, but the great ones get to a point where they accomplish just about every personal goal imaginable and that ring becomes the “Mt. Everest” that they so desperately want to climb in order to prove themselves and their legacy.

It sounds like that’s where Jackson, heading into his seventh NFL season, is at.

“He just really wants to win badly, and I think I’m seeing that as a player,” DeCosta said. “I’ve always known that, but now I’m seeing his personality kind of come out more where I can really get a sense that this guy is so hyper-focused on this season and really working to get a ring.”

Jackson has won two MVPs already, so a hyper-focused version of him could very well help the Ravens win it all this season.