Does Ravens HC Jesse Minter expect Lamar Jackson to report for voluntary workouts?

Recently hired Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle previously made it known that they "expect" quarterback Lamar Jackson and other members of the roster to participate in voluntary offseason workouts in April. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Minter offered somewhat of an interesting answer when asked if he thinks Jackson will participate in portions of the club's voluntary offseason program. 

Lamar Jackson "excited" about Ravens' direction, but...

"I think Lamar is really excited about what we have going on," Minter said, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. "I think he’s excited about opportunities in the offseason program. Again, we’ll see on April 6 who all walk in the door." 

Back in February, Minter noted that he felt he and his staff needed to "create an environment and a learning opportunity where" Jackson and his teammates would want to take part in voluntary workouts. As Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper and others have pointed out, however, Jackson has a history of skipping such sessions. 

It's also worth mentioning that the Ravens recently restructured Jackson's contract for reasons related to the salary cap. The two-time regular-season MVP inked a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $260M (with $185M guaranteed) in the spring of 2023, and there's no sign the parties are close to agreeing on an extension. 

Will "connection points" lead to Lamar Jackson reporting for voluntary workouts? 

"I know Lamar is excited," Minter insisted during his comments. "I think he is excited about some of the changes. We’ve had a lot of good connection points, but the offseason program is voluntary, and we’re excited to get a chance to work with all of the guys, whoever wants to show up. We feel confident that a lot of guys will be there." 

Whether or not Jackson plans to be one of the guys who "show up" is unknown. While the Ravens' mandatory minicamp won't take place until June, Minter clearly would like to see his QB1 around the facility before then.

"It’s our job to make it an environment and an opportunity for them that they really feel like they’re getting a lot out of it," Minter added about how Jackson and others may view voluntary workouts. "I’m excited about that process, the way the staff has put in the work to be ready, to make it a worthwhile offseason program. Just look forward to getting all of the guys there."

It could be interesting to see how Jackson responds to Minter's comments during the first full week of April.