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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.
Jesse Minter, introduced by the Ravens on Thursday, said he’s looking forward to connecting with star quarterback Lamar Jackson and building “a team around him that allows him to reach that ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore.” Rob Carr/Getty Images
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.”
One of the reasons Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti fired Harbaugh was a run of underachieving in the postseason. In Jackson’s eight seasons, Baltimore has won a total of three playoff games and never advanced past the AFC Championship Game.
This past season, the Ravens failed to reach the playoffs when Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired in a 26-24 season-ending loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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“We will build a true team built on toughness, fundamentals, [and] that plays together,” Minter said. “We will work to be the best team in the National Football League. And we will be at our best when our best is needed.”
Minter, 42, spent the last four seasons working under Jim Harbaugh and served as the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator for the last two years. He was hired for his first NFL coaching job by John Harbaugh and worked four seasons as a defensive assistant in Baltimore.
Since the season ended, Minter has spoken to John Harbaugh. He even received a text from Harbaugh that read: “I think [the Ravens] should hire you.”
“[It’s] really just like, take the foundation in place and build on it, make it better, put my own spin on it and not try to be John Harbaugh, not try to be Jim Harbaugh, be myself, connect with everybody, make it about all of us,” Minter said. “I really look forward to doing that.”
Minter said he will continue to call the defensive players as the Ravens’ head coach, saying he believes it’s one of the reasons Baltimore hired him. He acknowledged that his search for his offensive and defensive coordinators is “far along” but wouldn’t reveal the names of any candidates.
As for what he wants in an offensive coordinator, Minter said, “I’m looking for a connector and an innovator, and a scheme builder around the best player in the world.”
