Ravens’ Todd Monken acknowledges he could have coached Lamar Jackson better

Baltimore Ravens Struggle This Season

The Baltimore Ravens faced a disappointing season, ending their campaign without a playoff spot, leading to the firing of head coach John Harbaugh. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken took some of the blame for the team’s performance.

In a recent TV interview, Monken, 59, mentioned that his relationship with star quarterback Lamar Jackson could have been better. “I didn’t coach Lamar enough,” he reflected. “We didn’t do what we needed to do this year to win enough games to give ourselves a chance. I believe that.”

The Ravens ended the season with an 8-9 record, narrowly missing the playoffs. One of the contributing factors to their downfall could be the drop in offensive performance. The team averaged 30.1 points per game in 2024, which was third in the NFL, but fell to 24.9 points the following year, ranking 11th.

Jackson’s health was also a concern. He missed four games due to various injuries, including issues with his hamstring and back, and Monken expressed some regret about not being able to capitalize on the earlier success. “I really wish Lamar was healthy and could have seen what we continued to build,” he said. “We went from 23 to 24 and then things just didn’t work out.”

After Harbaugh’s unexpected dismissal, some reports suggested a strained relationship between Monken and Jackson, which Monken denied. “For me, Lamar and I had a good relationship,” he asserted, while acknowledging that things could improve. He added, “I’ve never seen a bad relationship between Coach Harbaugh and the players. Not once.”