Lamar Jackson intends to return this season, something he told his Ravens teammates within 24 hours of suffering a thumb injury in Week 8 against the Bills, per ESPN’s Ian Rapoport.
Jackson’s words were described as “energizing” and “exciting” in a Baltimore locker room that has little chance of making any noise this year without him. He previously missed three games due to a high ankle sprain, in which his team went 1-2 and fell to the bottom of the AFC North. His potential absence for the rest of the season inspired calls for the Ravens to sell at the trade deadline, but the prospect of getting Jackson back on the field will likely keep general manager Eric DeCosta from moving any key players.
Jackson, 29, is expected to have surgery on a fractured and dislocated right thumb, though he has yet to go under the knife as of Saturday morning, Bleacher Report’s James Palmer adds. He was placed on injured reserve before Baltimore’s Thursday night loss to the Jaguars and will have to miss at last three more games. The recovery typically takes at least six weeks and could run up to nine, which would put a return around early January. The Ravens could be out of the playoff running by then, in which case Jackson would likely be shut down for the season. With Tyler Huntley, his usual backup, also on IR, he will be counting on new teammate Jacoby Brissett to keep Baltimore’s postseason hopes alive in the interm.
This is the most detail the public has received on Jackson since he went down. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter has declined to address questions about surgery and a potential return timeline on multiple occasions aside from his initial announcement in Buffalo. The team was also hesitant to put any labels on his status while his ankle was injured earlier this season. There is some gamesmanship involved, but mostly, Jackson’s status while injured has been somewhat of a moving target in his career. The result is a perceived disconnect between player and club, a perception that gets amplified with another round of contract negotiations scheduled for this offeason.
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