Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh described Lamar Jackson's performance as "phenomenal" after his team held off the Dallas Cowboys for their first win of the season.

Having achieved the NFL's best regular-season record in 2023 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, Baltimore made a slow start to the new campaign.

A marginal out-of-bounds call against Isiah Likely denied them a potential game-winning touchdown as they lost to the Chiefs in Week 1, before the Las Vegas Raiders produced a stunning upset to beat them 26-23 in Week 2.

On Sunday, the Ravens put up a much-improved display in Dallas, racing into a 22-point fourth-quarter lead, though they almost let that advantage slip.

The Cowboys outscored their visitors 19-0 in the fourth but were ultimately unable to level things, with Jackson taking charge late on.

The reigning NFL MVP completed a 9-yard pass to Zay Flowers on 3rd-and-6 to prevent Dallas regaining possession at the death, ensuring the Ravens avoided the second 0-3 start in their history.

Jackson threw for 182 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 87 yards and a score on the ground, but it was his leadership that most impressed Harbaugh. 

"I thought Lamar was just phenomenal throughout the game and then he took over the last drive," Harbaugh told reporters.

"The big throw at the end... the big catches at the end; Zay made that huge catch, and Rashod Bateman had a big catch. We had some big runs at the end, too. 

"We ran the ball well at the end, and to finish out that way was really important, to win the game on offense, that's how they got it done. I didn't really want it to get to that situation, but it did, and they came through."

Jackson was not the only Raven to have a big game on the ground, with Derrick Henry rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns as they moved to 1-2 ahead of their Week 4 clash with the Buffalo Bills.

Harbaugh added: "We consider every game a must-win, but if you don't win a game, your season is not over. There’s a lot of football to be played.

"Last week doesn't matter, next week doesn't matter, it's this week that we're focused on. Lamar preaches it to the guys all the time; I'm proud of those guys."

Dallas are also 1-2 and have struggled to defend the run all season, with their average of 5.4 yards allowed per carry being the worst figure on record through three games of an NFL campaign since 1979. 

Their eight rushing touchdowns conceded, meanwhile, is the most in their history through three games, leading edge rusher Micah Parsons to slam their defensive efforts.

"Now we've got people trying to be Superman," he said. "People have just got to do their jobs, bro. 

"We don't need everyone to be Superman. We don't know Superman at all. We just need 11 guys playing together, and right now it's just not in unison."

Patrick Mahomes has praised rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy for "opening stuff up" in the Kansas City Chiefs' win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The Chiefs began their first steps towards an unprecedented three-peat with a 27-20 win over Baltimore on Thursday but had to hang on as the Ravens had a late touchdown overturned.

Worthy scored a touchdown the first time he got the ball in an NFL game with a 21-yard rush, before getting his second in the fourth quarter, a 35-yard catch from Mahomes.

The quarterback lauded Worthy's ability after the game, noting that his touchdowns were not his biggest contributions to the team during the win.

"Just having him out there, it just opens up stuff," Mahomes said. "You saw when he's out there, they're playing shell coverages.

"It's getting guys like [Travis Kelce] and it's getting guys like [Rashee Rice] open underneath, and that's what's so great about this offense is we're able to do all of that, and that's when we're at our best.

"He's so cool, calm and collected all the time. You never even see the excitement on him, but he goes out there and makes plays.

"Obviously, we want to continue to use him more and more, but I thought he had a great day today, making big plays and big moments."

Meanwhile, the Ravens were left frustrated by a late call from the officials as Isaiah Likely was denied a touchdown on the final play of the game.

He caught Lamar Jackson's pass, but it was ruled out by the slightest of margins after initially being given onfield, with replays showing his toe was just outside the line.

"You have to live with that call," Likely said, via the team's website.

"That's on me. I just have to get both feet in. I harp on myself to catch everything and make sure everybody puts us in the best possibility, so I take responsibility. Next time, I'm going to get my feet down."

Jackson, however, was not convinced by the final call.

"I thought it was a touchdown," Jackson said. "I still think it's a touchdown."

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has dismissed the idea that their meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday is a "revenge game".

The Ravens kick off the new NFL season against the reigning Super Bowl champions, having lost the AFC Championship game against them in January.

It was a fourth loss in six postseason games with Jackson as their starting quarterback and a fourth defeat against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in his career.

However, the 27-year-old has brushed off any suggestions that Baltimore will be using the AFC Championship game as extra motivation on Thursday.

"Any game I play in, I feel like it's a revenge game," Jackson said, via the team's website. "I'm not just going to look at this game like a revenge game.

"Anybody we play, no matter if we've beaten them or lost to them in previous years, I just want to win."

Jackson has led the Ravens to their best records in the NFL since joining in 2018, going 14-2 in 2019 and 13-4 last year. In the regular season, he has the second-best record at 58-19 (.753).

Jackson, who became the youngest-ever two-time NFL MVP since the AFL merger in February, is keen to make a quick start, though he is not getting too far ahead of himself.

"We have to win regular season games [in order] to get to January," Jackson added.

"We can't just go into the season and go 5-12, because then we're not going to be in the playoffs. Playoffs are on our mind, but at the same time, we have to win this game that's ahead of us."

"I'm ready to go. I've been going against my guys for weeks," Jackson said. "It's time to go against somebody else."

Lamar Jackson is not using outside criticism as motivation as he looks to go one step further in 2024 and lead the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl.

Jackson was named NFL MVP for the second time in the 2023 season, having previously claimed the award in 2019.

He recorded career-high figures for passes attempted (457), completed (307) and passing yards (3,678), also throwing for 24 touchdowns and totalling 821 rushing yards.

However, he was unable to lead Baltimore to Super Bowl LVIII as John Harbaugh's team were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Jackson was criticised for his performance in that contest and has a 2-4 postseason record, but he is shutting out any noise surrounding his big-game displays ahead of the new season.

"I mean, I'm motivating myself because I know what I want to do, at the end of the day," he told reporters.

"Those guys have their time. I really don't care what the criticism is or what the critics say because at the end of the day, I just came off a season-ending injury the year before and we made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game in a new system. 

"So, it's nothing to be down on myself, my team-mates or anything like that because we made it far, further than other years. We haven't been to the AFC in a long time…

"We've just got to keep going. We criticise ourselves more than anyone else. So, what people say on the outside, that's just their take. 

"They can believe what they want to believe, but we know what we want, we know what we're striving for."

The Baltimore Ravens moved to within one win of the Super Bowl as they saw off the Houston Texans 34-10.

Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdown passes, running for two more as the Ravens pulled away in the second half.

The two teams swapped field goals in the first quarter, Jackson finding Nelson Agholor from three yards in the second quarter before Steven Sims’ 67-yard punt return tied things up at 10-10.

Jackson eased the Ravens in front in the third quarter as he ran in on a score from 15 yards.

The number one seeds eased away in the final quarter, Jackson finding Isaiah Likely from 15 yards and going in himself from eight yards. Nick Tucker capped off the victory with a field goal from 43 yards late on.

The Ravens will host the Buffalo Bills or defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Lamar Jackson will remain with the Baltimore Ravens after all.

After months of negotiating and public posturing, the Ravens and Jackson agreed to a five-year contract extension on Thursday.

The Ravens' official Twitter account confirmed the news by posting a video of the 2019 NFL MVP celebrating the next five years in Baltimore.

Jackson's new deal makes him the highest-paid player in the league with a total contract value of $260million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, reportedly including $185m in guarantees.

Announced just hours before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, the contract ends a months-long negotiation process that at times was portrayed as tense and adversarial.

While the details of the contract have not been publicly confirmed, both sides reportedly used Jalen Hurts' new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as a starting point.

After leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, Hurts received a five-year extension worth up to $255m, with $179m in guaranteed money.

Jackson had reportedly been seeking a fully guaranteed contract – a demand that had, until this week, caused an impasse in negotiations.

On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, allowing other teams an opportunity to sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Three weeks later, Jackson announced on Twitter he had requested a trade earlier this offseason.

Jackson is 45-16 as a starter in the regular season and was voted the 2019 MVP after leading the league with 36 touchdown passes and rushing for a quarterback-record 1,206 yards.

In 70 career games, Jackson has completed 63.7 per cent of his passes for 12,209 yards, 101 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. He has added 4,437 rushing yards and 24 scores on the ground.

Odell Beckham Jr. received no assurances he will be able to link up with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore next season, but he hopes to.

The three-time Pro Bowler was confirmed as the Ravens' newest addition on Thursday on a one-year deal, having been available as a free agent since leaving the Los Angeles Rams, last appearing at Super Bowl LVI.

Beckham missed the whole of the 2022 campaign after a lengthy rehabilitation for an ACL tear sustained in that Super Bowl victory with the Rams.

The 30-year-old was introduced as a Raven in a press conference alongside general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh.

And conversation unsurprisingly turned to quarterback Jackson, who has requested a trade but had the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him and has not yet resolved his future.

"I didn't get any assurances for anything," Beckham said. "Life's uncertain. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day; we only know what's happened in the past.

"To me, it's about the possibility of that [playing with Jackson]. My thoughts would be that he would be here.

"I know that these two want him to be here. At the end of the day, it's going to be up to them."

GM DeCosta remains optimistic, adding: "Lamar is in our plans. We're hopeful to still get a long-term deal. He's the right player for this team."

Beckham has 7,367 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns in 96 career NFL games and will join a Baltimore team who finished 10-7 in 2022, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game.

On having the chance to play again, Beckham said: "I'm excited but also very determined and hungry. Through the smiles, there's still this [feeling] that I really want this badly."

He has reportedly signed a $15million deal worth up to $18m, with a base salary of $1.165m in 2023 to fit under the Ravens' salary-cap restrictions.

Wantaway Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson snapped back at social media critics claiming he missed last season's playoffs due to wanting a trade.

Jackson announced earlier this week on social media that he had requested a trade on March 2 following a drawn-out contract stand-off, where Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him earlier this month.

The two parties endured a similar stand-off last offseason before the QB played out the final year of his rookie contract, only to miss the Ravens' final six games of the season with a sprained left knee.

The issue had initially been expected to sideline him for only two to three weeks, with Jackson missing the Ravens' postseason 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jackson quipped back at suggestions on social media that that absence was due to him sitting out having not agreed on a long-term deal with the Ravens.

"Let's get real. I rather have a 100% PCL than go out there and play horrible forcing myself to put my guys in a bad situation now that's selfish to me," Jackson tweeted on Tuesday.

"I don't remember me sitting out on my guys week 1 vs jets To week 12 vs Broncos. How come all of a sudden I sit out because of money in which I could've got hurt at anytime within that time frame when we know the Super Bowl been on my mind since April 2018."

The 26-year-old QB also explained in a reply to a fan why he did not travel with the Ravens for their AFC Wild Card game in Cincinnati.

"After I traveled to the Pittsburgh game, my PCL got inflated so a few of us discussed it and I got the OK to stay so I could try [to] recover faster," Jackson tweeted.

Jackson's revelation of a trade request came amid the NFL's annual league meeting. The Indianapolis Colts are the only team to declare any intention to consider Jackson who represents himself in negotiations.

After years of patchwork quarterback play, the Indianapolis Colts are considering acquiring Lamar Jackson to solve their woes under center.

Just hours after Jackson announced that he had asked the Baltimore Ravens to trade him, the Colts became the first franchise to declare their intentions to look into acquiring the former league MVP.

"Anytime a special player is available, which [Jackson] is, you've got to do the work," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Monday at the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix.

"I'm not going to get into deep discussions on where it's at or what we're doing or what we might do," Ballard said. "But what I'll tell you is he's a really good player, really special player. But you never know how any of this will work out.

"I think anytime at that position we have a chance to acquire a guy, you've got to do your work on it to see if it's doable," Ballard said. "Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.

"If you don't feel like you have one that can absolutely change the franchise in terms of leading you every year, I think you're always going to feel some pressure to get that player right."

Since Andrew Luck’s surprising retirement in 2019, the Colts have shuffled through a list of stop-gap options at quarterback, including Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan.

Jackson confirmed suspicions that his relationship with the Ravens has been fractured Monday when he announced in a statement on Twitter that he had requested a trade on March 2.

On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, meaning that other teams could sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Teams could offer more than two first-rounders to the Ravens as a part of any potential blockbuster trade.

Ballard said his team will do their "due diligence" to bring an answer at quarterback to the Colts – who own the fourth overall selection in next month’s draft – and had previously said the team would consider trading up for the right quarterback.

On Monday, Ballard made the case for drafting a quarterback outside the first round.

"What I would tell you is that there's good players in this draft at every level," Ballard said. "Everybody just talks about the top four [quarterbacks], but there's some more guys out there that are pretty good players.

"And I think history's shown – especially in the last few years with [Philadelphia Eagles quarterback] Jalen [Hurts] being one and [San Francisco 49ers’] Brock Purdy coming in and playing really well – they come at every level. So, we'll do our work on every one of them."

The Lamar Jackson saga has taken another turn, with the former MVP revealing he has requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens.

Negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens over a long-term deal are deadlocked, with Baltimore seemingly unwilling to grant his wish of a fully guaranteed contract.

Jackson just completed the final year of his rookie deal and the Ravens last month elected to place the franchise tag on the star quarterback.

However, they gave him the non-exclusive franchise tag on, meaning he is free to negotiate with other teams.

If he signs an offer sheet with another NFL team, the Ravens have the option of matching it to keep Jackson or decline it and receive the other team's 2023 and 2024 first-round draft picks as compensation.

Had the Ravens placed the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, he would have been locked up for the 2023 season by Baltimore and received a guaranteed salary of $45million.

That decision flies in the face of the Baltimore's stated commitment to sign Jackson a long-term deal, and the 2019 MVP appears ready to move on, claiming the Ravens have "not been interested in meeting my value".

In a Twitter thread titled 'A letter to my fans', Jackson wrote: "I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show towards me.

"All of you are amazing and I appreciate y'all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me. Let me personally answer your questions.

"In regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organisation for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that's [sic] has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the Super Bowl.

"You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I. No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I'll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You'll See me again."

Responding as he spoke to reporters at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said: "I'm getting ready for Lamar. … When Lamar gets back on this train, it's moving full speed."

The Baltimore Ravens have placed a franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, but there is no guarantee he will be their quarterback in 2023.

The Ravens gave Jackson the non-exclusive franchise tag on Tuesday, meaning he is free to negotiate with other teams.

If he signs an offer sheet with another NFL team, the Ravens have the option of matching it to keep Jackson or decline it and receive the other team's 2023 and 2024 first-round draft picks as compensation.

Had the Ravens placed the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, he would have been locked up for the 2023 season by Baltimore and received a guaranteed salary of $45million.

The 26-year-old, who represents himself without an agent and just completed the final year of his rookie contract, also has the option of signing a one-year franchise tender to play for the Ravens in 2023 for a guaranteed salary of $32.4m.

The decision for the Ravens to place the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson and not work out a long-term deal differs greatly from what the team was indicating less than two months ago.

Just days after the Ravens' 2022 season ended with a 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round, both general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh told reporters that they were determined to keep Jackson.

"Lamar Jackson is our quarterback," Harbaugh said on January 19. "He's been our quarterback. Everything we've done in terms of building our offense and our team, putting people around him, is based around this young man, his talent, his ability and his competitiveness.

"I'll have my fingers crossed and my toes crossed, I'll be saying prayers, I've every faith it's going to get done. Eric wants him here, I want him here, [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] wants him here and Lamar wants to be here. It's going to work out."

When asked if Jackson would be Baltimore's Week 1 starting QB next season, DeCosta added: "I don’t see any reason why he won't be."

Now that the Ravens have given him the opportunity to hit the open market, there is a distinct possibility he has played his final game for Baltimore.

The 32nd overall pick of the 2018 draft, Jackson ranks second in Ravens' franchise history in passing yards (12,209) and passing touchdowns (101) and was the league MVP in 2019.

His last two seasons, however, have been mired by injuries, as he missed five games in 2021 and the final five of 2022 due to a knee injury.

The Baltimore Ravens are "fervently hopeful" that a deal with Lamar Jackson will get done.

Jackson's future with the Ravens remains uncertain ahead of Tuesday's franchise tag deadline, with the quarterback yet to sign a long-term contract.

The Baltimore signal-caller, who represents himself rather than employing an agent, reportedly wants a fully guaranteed deal, but the Ravens are reluctant to offer that, meaning talks have been deadlocked.

"You can't win in this league without a strong quarterback. I mean, that's been proven," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said.

"We want Lamar here. We think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He's certainly one of our best players, and we want him back.

"We understand that living in a world without a quarterback is a bad world to live in."

DeCosta voluntarily said that few teams have made more trades than the Ravens since he became GM four years ago but had no plans to offload Jackson.

"I covet great players. I covet quarterbacks. And I love Lamar," DeCosta said. "That has not factored in one time with me. We want to do what's best for the club. We try to do what we can for Lamar. We want to make everybody happy."

The Ravens can place the franchise tag on Jackson before Tuesday's deadline, but would have to create more room in their salary cap to fit the QB's tag under the cap.

The exclusive tag is projected to cost Baltimore $45.2million, while a non-exclusive tag would be around $32m, but the latter opens him up to offer sheets from rival clubs.

"Both understand the urgency of the situation," added DeCosta, before reiterating he remains "positive" on agreeing a new deal.

"I've seen a lot of deals happen when things look bleak, or I haven't seen deals when I would've thought it was a slam dunk," he said. "It takes two people to do it. I remain positive. I have no reason not to remain positive."

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he was "200 per cent" that 2019 MVP Jackson wanted to remain with Baltimore.

"He's my quarterback, he's my guy," Harbaugh said. "I love him. As a coach, I'm looking forward to seeing it get done but it's not easy. It's the business part of it but I'm fervently hopeful and excited.

"We've been texting back and forth here and there ever since the season was over. I feel like 'Mar is doing really well. It's just part of the business, it's what you expect when you have a great quarterback."

Jackson threw 17 touchdown passes with a 62.3 per cent completion rate across 12 starts in the 2022 regular season, which was cut short due to a knee injury. His 2021 campaign was also impacted by an ankle injury, Jackson again making only 12 starts.

New Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken says he is not worried if quarterback Lamar Jackson skips offseason workouts if he receives their franchise tag.

Jackson's contractual situation with the Ravens remains unresolved, after Baltimore opted against handing the 2019 MVP a new five-year contract in 2022, with the QB playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2022.

The Ravens were previously public in their confidence that they would secure Jackson to a new long-term deal, but nothing has been forthcoming, with no talks taking place since last offseason.

Jackson is understood to want a fully guaranteed five-year contract – similar to the outlier deal handed to Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson – which the Ravens are not willing to meet, meaning one of the parties will need to budge to agree to a new deal.

The NFL's franchise tag window opened on Tuesday running until March 7, with the Ravens expected to place the tag on their QB to prevent Jackson from becoming an unrestricted free agent should they be unable to agree to a new deal in the next fortnight.

That scenario may lead to Jackson, who represents himself in negotiations without an agent, opting to skip Ravens' offseason workouts and training camp and only report to practice in the week prior to the regular season.

"Sure, he'll be behind, but it's still just football," Monken told reporters. "Sometimes we make this out to be way too much. We'll cater to what he knows and play."

Monken was speaking at his introductory press conference, having only been appointed to the role last week replacing Greg Roman.

The new offensive coordinator would naturally need time to build rapport with Jackson, which that hypothetical scenario would not afford him.

"I mean it's like any player, the more time you spend with them, the more comfortable they get with any system," Monken said. "That's more relationship, and that's part of it.

"There's a big part of that relationship from a quarterback, coordinator, playcaller, position coach where they're comfortable and there's a trust. And that's built over time."

Jackson's past two seasons have ended prematurely due to injuries, with the Ravens missing the playoffs in 2021 following a late slump, while they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round in 2022.

The Ravens QB threw a career-best 36 touchdowns with a 66.1 per cent completion rate in his MVP-winning 2019 season from 15 starts, but only managed 16 and 17 TDs from 12 and 12 starts in his past two seasons respectively.

"He's got an elite skill set," Monken said. "I think he's underrated as a passer in terms of his ability to make plays and throw it down the field."

The Baltimore Ravens are confident they can reach a long-term deal with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson amid a contract stand-off.

The Ravens' 2022 season ended with Sunday's 24-17 Wild Card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, re-opening discussion on the 2018 NFL MVP's future after shelving talks during the regular season.

There has been an awkward relationship between Jackson and the franchise after the Ravens opted against handing the 26-year-old a new five-year contract in 2022, with the QB playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal this season.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Thursday that they are determined to keep Jackson.

"Lamar Jackson is our quarterback," Harbaugh said. "He's been our quarterback. Everything we've done in terms of building our offense and our team, putting people around him, is based around this young man, his talent, his ability and his competitiveness.

"I'll have my fingers crossed and my toes crossed, I'll be saying prayers, I've every faith it's going to get done. Eric wants him here, I want him here, [owner] Steve [Bisciotti] wants him here and Lamar wants to be here. It's going to work out."

Jackson, who represents himself, wants a guaranteed-money deal while the Ravens are likely to place the franchise tag on him if no deal is completed by March to ensure he does not become an unrestricted free agent.

DeCosta added that he was in constant communication with Jackson and hopeful on completing a new deal.

"It certainly takes two to tango but I think Lamar and I have a great relationship," DeCosta said.

"We communicate quite often. We spent some time together today as a matter of fact. We've spoken throughout the season multiple times. These negotiations, they all happen differently.

"We'll communicate effectively, we'll be as fair as we can be. We'll try to hammer out a deal. Hopefully we can get to that point."

When asked if Jackson would be Baltimore's Week 1 starting QB next season, DeCosta added: "I don’t see any reason why he won't be."

The Ravens fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Thursday, with Jackson to have input in his replacement, in a sign they are moving forward in the assumption he will remain.

Harbaugh added that he had no concerns over Jackson's durability, despite being unable to finish the past two seasons due to injury.

"He's a very durable player," he said. "I know that people might take issue with that. But I don't believe that there's going to be a problem going forward because I know how hard he works."

Jackson started 12 games in the 2022 season, with a completion rate of 62.3 per cent for 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding three rushing TDs and 764 yards on the ground.

Lamar Jackson appeared to tell the Baltimore Ravens not to "neglect" him amid uncertainty over the quarterback's future.

There has been a frosty relationship between the player and the franchise after the Ravens opted against handing the 26-year-old a new five-year contract in 2022.

The Ravens' season came to a close on Sunday, when they were eliminated in the Wild Card round at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals, with Jackson not featuring due to a knee injury.

Negotiations over a new long-term deal for Jackson are reportedly set for the coming weeks, though it remains unclear whether he will remain in Baltimore.

Ahead of those talks, Jackson posted a thinly-veiled message on Instagram which read: "When you have something good, you don't play with it.

"You don't take chances losing it. You don't neglect it. When you have something good, you pour into it. You appreciate it.

"Because when you take care of something good, that good thing takes care of you too."

Securing a contract agreement will not be an easy task and even if the two parties agree terms, that may not end speculation over his future.

Should the Ravens apply a non-exclusive franchise tag, the door would be opened for Jackson to hold negotiations with other teams ahead of a possible trade.