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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson explained that he lost weight this year because the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player didn’t like the way he looked and how fast he ran.
A visibly slimmer Jackson reported to training camp two weeks ago weighing 200 pounds, which is 30 pounds less than his 2022 weight and 15 pounds less than last season.
In an interview with CBS Sports after Tuesday’s practice, Jackson said, “I was fat, to me. I felt like I was fat.” Jackson added, “I just saw a video from two years ago [against] the Browns and I looked out of shape. But I was in shape.”
Jackson is the most prolific running quarterback in the NFL, gaining 5,258 yards in his first six seasons in the league — 1,399 more rushing yards than any other quarterback has.
He led the NFL by averaging 5.5 yards per carry last season, but that was his lowest in any full season. Jackson’s four runs of 20-plus yards last season also was the fewest of his career.
“My eyes may be deceiving me, but I believe I looked a little slower to me,” Jackson said, “but not now.”
In terms of speed, Jackson recorded nine runs in his first three seasons in which he reached a maximum speed of 20 mph or faster. In his past three seasons, he has managed just one run where he hit a max speed of 20 mph, and that one didn’t happen last season.
According to Next Gen Stats, Jackson’s average speed when crossing the line of scrimmage with the ball was 12.47 mph in 2023. That was the lowest speed of his career. His fastest was 13.73 mph in 2019.
On Tuesday, Jackson said he wanted to move around “without getting fatigued.”
“I don’t like getting caught if I do decide to run,” Jackson said.
Jackson was asked whether age could be a factor is him slowing down.
“No, not at all,” Jackson said. “I’m only 27. I’m still young. It definitely don’t have anything to do with age.”