“We Didn’t Give Rodgers a Free Pass”: Ex-NFL QB Criticizes Lamar Jackson for Following Aaron Rodgers’ Footsteps

Lamar Jackson finds himself in the headlines once again! The Baltimore Ravens quarterback missed workout sessions ahead of the mandatory minicamp. The 27-year-old refused to address the issue in a recent press conference and claimed he was focused more on giving it his all during the practice camp. But, Jackson’s statements are not enough to save him from backlash for his actions.

Recently, the Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was heavily criticized for missing the mandatory minicamp and it looks like Jackson is suffering the same fate! On a recent episode of Pro Football Talk, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and NFL analyst, Chris Simms, criticized Jackson for not attending 80% of the Ravens’ preseason workouts along with broadcaster Mike Florio. Florio claimed that the two-time NFL MVP was trying “too hard” to brush off his absence, and Simms agreed to that assessment. The 43-year-old also compared Aaron Rodgers bunking the Jets minicamp to Jackson ditching his preseason obligations.

“We didn’t give Rodgers a free pass,” added Simms. He continued, “We’re not gonna give Lamar Jackson a free pass. And, you know me, I’m a huge Lamar Jackson defender, I mean (I) love him. I think he’s a baller at quarterback, a real quarterback. You know scr*w all these people all the time ‘he’s a running back.’ Like no, the guy is the real deal. But I still don’t understand the approach, I don’t.”

The former Heisman Trophy winner had a spectacular 2023 season where he had a career-best 3,678 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and a 102.7 passer rating. Jackson also led the team to playoffs where the Ravens lost 10-17 to the eventual champions, Kansas City Chiefs. Chris Simms opined that Jackson should have put in the hard yards to overcome the obstacles that stopped Baltimore from reaching the Super Bowl. Aside from the backlash, the Florida native also suffered a massive monetary loss as well!

Lamar Jackson responds after losing $750,000 for missing workout sessions

Lamar Jackson was set to receive $750,000 in bonuses ahead of the 2024 regular season if he attended 80% of the preseason OTAs. But the quarterback will now miss out on the massive paycheck for his actions. When asked about the situation, the three-time Pro Bowler refused to discuss the $260 million contract that he signed in 2023. Jackson will bag $14.25 million in base salary this season. But despite such a big monetary loss, the Ravens star had an ambiguous answer to whether he would have further practice sessions with the team before the upcoming training camp.

He said, “I would love to do that, but some guys don’t want to leave their state… They’re going to have to come to South Florida. They’re going to have to do it. We have to. We’re trying to get to the Super Bowl, and for us to do that, we have to grind. We have to build chemistry.”

The upcoming practice sessions in July will be key for both Lamar individually and the Ravens as the team will start playing its preseason games on August 9 against the Eagles, followed by clashes against the Falcons and Packers on August 17 and 24, respectively.

Can the Ravens finally reach the Super Bowl after missing out last season? Only time will tell.