Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson made the conscious decision to slim down this offseason. The Athletic reported in May that the two-time NFL MVP is down to 205 pounds, which is 25 pounds down from his 2022 weight, and 10 pounds less than his 2023 weight.
Why did Jackson make this change to his body? The fastest quarterback in the league told CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones this week that he lost weight because he thought he was fat!
"I felt like I was fat," Jackson said. "I just saw a video from two years ago, watching us play I think it was the Browns, and I looked, like, out of shape. But I was in shape."
Jackson has never looked slow on a football field, but did he think he looked slower when running?
"My eyes might be deceiving me, but I believe I looked a little slower to me," Jackson said. "But, not now."
Jackson also said that he made this change to help his conditioning, so he could move around more easily without getting fatigued. In 2023, Jackson rushed for 821 yards and five touchdowns while averaging a league-leading 5.5 yards per carry, and stole his "QB rushing crown" back from Justin Fields after the former Bear rushed for 1,143 yards in 2022.
In his first season with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jackson recorded a QB-record eight wins by 14 or more points vs. winning teams in the regular season, and became just the fifth quarterback since 1970 to rank in the top four in yards per attempt and yards per rush in a season.
The Ravens again have Super Bowl hopes entering 2024, and a thinner Jackson could be key to that.
