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Jesse Minter looking forward to building a team around Lamar (1:18)
New Ravens coach Jesse Minter tells Pat McAfee what excites him about coaching Lamar Jackson. (1:18)
Jamison HensleyJan 29, 2026, 01:43 PM ET
- Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- New Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter said he's looking forward to building a relationship with quarterback Lamar Jackson as well as building a team around the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
"I just look forward to connecting with him, helping him become the best version of himself, creating a team identity that allows him to thrive, which he's already proven to be one of the best players in the National Football League," Minter said during a 30-minute introductory news conference Thursday. "[I want to] put a team around him that allows him to reach that ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore."
Toward the end of John Harbaugh's 18-year run as the Ravens' head coach, multiple sources said Jackson had chemistry issues with the coaching staff. When Harbaugh was fired Jan. 6, a team source said it was no coincidence that Baltimore decided to move on from Harbaugh at a time when it needs Jackson to reduce his $74.5 million salary cap hit.
On Thursday, Minter indicated that he has had multiple conversations with Jackson since being hired as the fourth coach in Ravens history a week ago.
"It's been great to get to know him," Minter said. "I think relationships take time. And so, you don't become the head coach of the Ravens and expect to have a deep relationship with anybody. Those take time. We've been working towards that already. We've had wonderful conversations, look forward to many, many more."
