Hall of Famer defends Ravens' Lamar Jackson against controversial narrative

Shortly after Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti shockingly parted ways with head coach John Harbaugh this past January, stories emerged suggesting that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson basically got Harbaugh and then-Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken fired. 

During the latest edition of the "Fully Loaded Podcast," Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter defended Jackson regarding such narratives. 

Lamar Jackson not to blame for Ravens' coaching changes?

"Jackson didn’t get them coaches fired in Baltimore," Carter said, per James Dudko of Heavy. "Monken didn’t have a good relationship with him. He said that. He didn’t have a good relationship with him, and that was Monken’s fault."

Carter seemingly was referencing how Monken hinted in January that his working relationship with Jackson probably could "have been better." For what it's worth, Monken later said after he was hired as the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns that his relationship with Jackson "was awesome" and that the two got "along great." For an article published this week, Monken called Jackson "a tremendous person." 

Meanwhile, Bisciotti told reporters in January that he spoke with Jackson about both Harbaugh and Monken. 

"[Jackson] said to me, 'Everybody’s saying I have a problem with Monken. I don’t really have a problem with Monken. I don’t know where that comes from.' And he said, 'I hear that I’ve got a problem with Harbs, and I don’t have a problem with Harbs. I don’t know where that comes from,'" Bisciotti explained at the time.

In January, one person who spoke with members of the Ravens shared that some "viewed Monken as increasingly standoffish and unwilling to collaborate with players." That story also revealed that Ravens sources "expressed frustration over Monken’s decisions throughout the season." 

Lamar Jackson was only one part of Ravens teams that failed to win championships

"He don’t play defense," Carter added about Jackson. "He don’t play special teams there in Baltimore. He don’t control the offseason training because they had the number of injuries they’ve had there in Baltimore."

This past spring, Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers seemed to blame "how we practiced" under Harbaugh for the injury issues the team dealt with over the final few years of the coach's tenure. Additionally, the combination of Harbaugh and Jackson made zero Super Bowl appearances from 2018 up until the 2025 Ravens failed to qualify for the playoffs. 

That said, Jackson's relationships with members of Baltimore's new coaching staff could be something to monitor over the next handful of months if he doesn't sign a contract extension this offseason. Per the terms of his existing deal, the Ravens can't retain his rights for 2028 via the franchise tag.