HC Jesse Minter expands on offseason warning to Lamar Jackson, Ravens players

Recently hired Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle generated headlines when he said that the Ravens "expect" quarterback Lamar Jackson and other members of the roster to participate in voluntary offseason workouts. 

While speaking with NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter expanded on Doyle's comments. 

Jesse Minter wants Ravens players to "want" to attend voluntary workouts

"First of all, I do have total respect for the rules that it is voluntary," Minter was sure to say, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Totally understand that. And Lamar has had unbelievable success doing it both ways. And so there’s certainly a balance there. But I think it’s our job to create an environment and a learning opportunity where they feel like it’s really important to them to want to be there."

Jackson has a history of skipping portions of voluntary organized team activities. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Jackson didn't attend eight of nine on-field practices last spring. 

Of course, such habits haven't prevented Jackson from earning two MVP Awards. That said, he only ever had John Harbaugh as a head coach from the 2018 NFL Draft up until the Ravens surprisingly fired Harbaugh this past January. 

Doyle previously noted that he "had a chance to visit" with Jackson multiple times before the coordinator spoke publicly about his hopes for voluntary workouts. On Wednesday, Minter shared how he wants Jackson and other players to view voluntary sessions leading up to the start of the Ravens' offseason program on April 6.

Jesse Minter hopes Ravens players "feel the importance of" working out together in April

"Just like they’re like, 'Man, this is high-level stuff. And this stuff’s going to help us,'" Minter continued. "I think, like, the feeling of what we’re doing now will pay off in September and October and November versus, 'OK, we’re coming in, and we’re kind of doing the same routine.' It just needs to be an environment that they really feel the importance of it."

The Ravens are expected to speak with Jackson about signing a contract extension before the offseason program gets underway. One wonders if the nature of those discussions will impact whether or not he attends voluntary workouts later this spring.