Lamar Jackson's Relationship With Ravens OC Detailed by Insider After Harbaugh Firing

Despite the success they enjoyed together, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken may have stopped seeing eye to eye this season.

The Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday, and The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported one factor behind the decision was "his refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from [Monken]."

Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic provided more context, reporting Wednesday things between Jackson and Monken had "had grown awkward, particularly this season when there seemed to be weekly confusion about whether Jackson would or wouldn't practice."

Zrebiec also described Harbaugh as a "buffer" between the star quarterback and offensive play-caller.

Monken has brought the best out of Jackson as a passer.

Over the past three seasons, the two-time MVP has thrown for 10,399 yards and 86 touchdowns while averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. In 2024, he led the NFL in passer rating (119.6) and QBR (74.8), per Pro Football Reference.

From that standpoint, it's surprising that Jackson would sour on Monken. The Baltimore Banner's Giana Han reported the frustration was shared among others on the offense, though.

"Those sources, who had direct knowledge of how Monken ran the offense, said players felt the Ravens worked on a specific game plan during the week only to abandon it mid-game, creating chaos and confusion," Han reported Tuesday. "They also viewed Monken as increasingly standoffish and unwilling to collaborate with players."

There were other internal points of contention, per Han.

At 33, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is clearly past his prime. Still, he could've probably played a bigger role than catching 22 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

There were instances when the lack of touches for running back Derrick Henry were glaring despite him finishing with the fourth-most carries (307).

The Ravens are approaching an important offseason with Jackson because his massive salary cap hits for 2026 and 2027 need to come down. That may result in him getting another extension, one that would send his salary past its current rate of $52 million annually.

Zrebiec wrote how Monday's coaching change "isn't necessarily about the Ravens picking Jackson over Harbaugh and Monken."

From the outside, however, it does look as though Baltimore still believes it can win a Super Bowl with Jackson at the helm and lost that confidence in the coaching staff.