Twelve years. That’s how long it’s been since the Ravens last lifted the Lombardi Trophy. For the Ravens’ fandom, it feels like forever. In 2012, Baltimore had its moment, Ray Lewis had his last ride on the gridiron, Joe Flacco played like the Super Bowl MVP (because he was), and the championship parade felt like the start of something huge. But since that year, it has been just a whole lot of almosts and maybes. Baltimore has been grinding along with John Harbaugh, waiting for another shot. The fandom has been riding the highs and lows, watching teams stack up playoff runs that didn’t go far.

Then there’s Steve Bisciotti, the man at the top, watching it all unfold, year after year. And he’s had enough now. “We’re p—–,” Bisciotti is letting the emotion spill out at the NFL Annual Meetings. Steve made an appearance before the media at the annual league meetings alongside John Harbaugh. The team’s owner got real about so many things, mainly his wish to lift another Lombardi Trophy. When asked about his vision for the team 30 years down the line, Steve did not dive into long-term planning or building a legacy. His response was, “I want to win now. I want to win with these guys.” Period.

The Ravens have been a spectacular team, consistently making the playoffs. But being good and winning are two very different things. “I don’t like waiting 12 years, yet I’m respectful of the fact that I’ve got partners [owners] downstairs that still don’t have one. Impatience is good for you. I think it’s healthy to a degree because you know all of us still feel it,” Bisciotti said during his media appearance.

Bisciotti knows the Ravens’ championship window is open, and Lamar Jackson is at the heart of it. But make no mistake, this isn’t just about Lamar. 

Winning for everyone: Steve Bisciotti’s demand goes beyond Jackson

Ever since the Ravens‘ Lamar Jackson era began in 2018, the team has made six playoff trips. But the team has only won three games in the playoff run. Most of the time, they have not made deep runs in the postseason. They get eliminated either in the wild card round or, if not there, then for sure in the divisional round. This is the reason that many analysts have called out Lamar Jackson for having a ‘poor playoff resume’ or ‘being a choker in big games.’

“We’ve got a window with Lamar. I know what we can do. I know that we worked to put ourselves in a position to win. We all get credit for that. That’s all you can do,” said Bisciotti. Admitting the frustration of starting all over again, Steve added, “I hate it that every year, you just have to start back over again. But you know what? This is not for the meek.” Lamar is just as frustrated as everyone else on the squad about not being able to win. In an interview with The Athletic last year, the two-time MVP shared, “I haven’t gotten a Super Bowl yet. That’s the only thing that bothers me.” That should be the case.

Also, that’s one of the reasons Steve Bisciotti wants the team to end the long drought. And for him, this is not just about one player. “I don’t look at Lamar singularly. I want it for Ronnie Stanley, I want it for Marlon Humphrey. It just doesn’t stop with Lamar. I want it for (GM) Eric DeCosta.” Bisciotti made it clear that he sees the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a collective dream.

For the Ravens’ owner, the mission is clear: It’s not just about Lamar Jackson; it’s about the entire organization. Harbaugh echoed the same sentiment. “We haven’t been able to put it together for three or four games to win the Super Bowl championship, and that’s the hard thing… but we want to be that team, and we’re good enough to do it, so we want to find a way to do it.” 

The message is loud and clear: Baltimore is done waiting. They need to pull up their socks, not just to end the drought but also to retain a rare talent like Lamar Jackson in their camp.