‘I Was Fat’: Did Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Waste Years of His Prime?

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has notably slimmed down as he and the Ravens prepare to make another deep playoff run in 2024.

To the average viewer, nothing about one of the most explosive players in the league seemed to be anything close to “fat,” but that is how Jackson defined a past version of himself when he was asked about his decision to slim down.

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson thought he looked “out of shape”

When asked why he decided to slim down, Jackson responded by saying he saw himself in a game with the Cleveland Browns just a short time ago and thought that he looked out of shape.

Jackson quickly corrected himself, saying he wasn’t actually out of shape, but there is no doubt that Jackson himself thought he was not in the best possible shape he could be in during that time.

🚨WATCH OUT: #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson says he slimmed down because he was FAT & HE NOW IS THE FASTEST

“I felt like I was fat.”

“I believe I looked a little slower, but not now. I don’t like getting caught if I do decide to run.”

👀👀👀

(Via @NFLonCBS) pic.twitter.com/YCpv6H4Qge

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 6, 2024

Did Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson fail to make a deep playoff run due to being “fat?”

2023 was the first season that the Ravens managed to make it to the AFC Championship game in the Lamar Jackson era.

The 2022 Ravens failed to do so after losing in the first round to the Cincinnati Bengals with Jackson on the sideline. 2023 was the first time Jackson played at least 16 games in a season since joining the league in 2018.

Jackson won the MVP in 2023 for the second time. The first time came when Jackson was fresh out of college in 2019 in his first year as the full-time starter for the Ravens, a season in which Jackson played in 15 games and only lost two as a starter.

In 2021 and 2022, the years in which Jackson himself claimed to be “fat,” Jackson only played in 12 games. He missed the crucial last leg of the year in 2022 which bled into the first round of the playoffs.

It is impossible to say whether Jackson’s idea of being “fat” or “out of shape” is responsible for his increased injury rate in 2021 and 2022, but it is Jackson saying these things about himself.

According to WebMD, 10 pounds of difference can result in as much as 40 pounds of force being taken off of your knees. Jackson missed the back end of 2022 due to a knee injury. Jackson said he lost 25 pounds and is now down to 205. The difference of force on the knees for someone as shifty Jackson with that much weight loss could be close to 100 pounds.

While injury and self-image could’ve played a part, Kevin Oestreicher of the “Locked on Ravens” podcast said in an article from the Ravens’ website that Jackson could’ve decided to better fit in the offense with newly acquired bruising running back Derrick Henry.

“Maybe Lamar says, ‘You know what, this team has Derrick Henry now. I can drop some weight because we have the big bruiser in Derrick Henry,’ so Lamar goes back to his 2019-type body,” Oestreicher said. “It did take him a couple years to bulk up to what he was, and I think it was necessary at the time for him to do that, I think it was a good decision, but if he’s going elusive, skinny Lamar mode again, I think this is the time to do it.”

The Baltimore Ravens failed to make it out of the first round in 2022, largely due to Lamar Jackson’s absence

Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley nearly led the Ravens to a victory over the Bengals, but a fumble on the goal line resulted in a 14-point swing and an eventual loss for the Ravens.

One year ago today the fumble in the jungle happened. One of the best plays in playoff history and also one of the most electric. Happy anniversary to all who celebrate. pic.twitter.com/a4yU5JMwTt

— BengalsHead (@BengalsHead) January 15, 2024

While the entire game would’ve played out differently, it is hard to imagine Jackson committing the same error had he been the signal caller for the Ravens on the goal line.

Jackson is 8-2 when he takes on the Bengals throughout his career. Jackson has only lost to the Bengals with quarterback Joe Burrow at the helm one time. It is impossible to say how the game would’ve gone with Jackson, but if he did miss time and get injured due to being what he considers “out of shape,” then it is his lack of effort that drastically reduced the Ravens’ chances of winning.

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