OWINGS MILLS — Quarterback Lamar Jackson said he feels “wonderful” after an illness that forced him to miss four days of training. He’s not worried that it will become a recurring issue.
Jackson has missed time previously because of illness and even missed a game against the Chicago Bears in 2021 because he was too ill to play.
He scoffed at the notion that he was dealing with a chronic illness.
“[I’m] feeling wonderful man,” Jackson said. “[It’s] good to be back; back out with my guys; back out with the coaching staff – [it’s] good to be back in August, man, [it’s] football season. … I don’t know, I kind of just got a bug – you really never know when a bug [will] hit you. I got hit with a bug, and I’m good now.”
Jackson also was not concerned about missing several days of practice.
“I mean, just because I was down, [I was] still locked in – I know what time [it is] right now – it’s camp time,” he said. “With me going down for a couple of days – my mind was still in it, like, ‘I’ve got to hurry up and get better so I can be out there with my guys.’”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh recently said that Jackson has the potential to become “the greatest quarterback ever to play in the history of the National Football League.”
Jackson is a two-time MVP and the first NFL quarterback to run for 700 or more yards in five consecutive seasons While Jackson has compiled a 58-19 record in the regular season, he is 2-4 in the playoffs.
Jackson did not hear Harbaugh’s remarks because he was out with the illness. However, Jackson knows his legacy will be defined by whether he wins a Super Bowl and that another quarterback is already regarded as the greatest to ever play in the NFL.
“I’m not the GOAT [Greatest of All-Time], Tom Brady [is] the GOAT. Tom Brady [is] the GOAT,” Jackson said. “Yes, I believe that’s motivation – I appreciate that; I’m still on my way. … Only a few quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl in the last few years. A lot of people haven’t won. But I’m focusing on me, and I just want [a Super Bowl] really bad. I focus on what I can control and go from there.”
