Lamar Jackson Called Out in Column as Raiders Rumor Swirls

The Moment

Lamar Jackson is having the kind of season every NFL star dreads: banged up, statistically down, and suddenly the main character in someone else’s opinion column.

In a new commentary for the Baltimore Sun, longtime columnist Mike Preston paints a harsh picture of the Baltimore Ravens quarterback. He claims Jackson has been sleeping in meetings, staying up late playing video games, and enjoying “preferential treatment” inside the building – and argues the team should seriously consider trading him instead of giving him a massive extension.

Preston even floats potential landing spots: Jackson’s hometown Miami Dolphins, and the Las Vegas Raiders – where Tom Brady, now a minority owner, has long been an admirer of Lamar’s talent.

All of this lands while Jackson is reportedly dealing with another injury, a back contusion on top of hamstring, knee, ankle and toe issues, and has missed practice on Christmas Eve as he recovers – what the DailyMailUS write-up bluntly calls the “worst year” of his career so far.

The Take

Let me say this plainly: a grumpy columnist with a deadline is not the same thing as a front-office plan.

Preston’s piece is scorching, and some of the claims – like Jackson allegedly dozing off in meetings or the team shifting practice times just for him – are the kind of details that light up talk radio. They’re also unverified. That matters.

What is true: Jackson’s body has taken a beating, and this season does not look like peak-MVP Lamar. For a quarterback whose game is built on speed and improvisation, injuries are not a small detail, they’re the whole story. Once a dual-threat quarterback starts looking more “dual” on paper than on the field, everyone in the building gets nervous.

But framing this as “Lamar doesn’t work hard, he’s just gaming late and acting like an overgrown kid” feels a little too much like the classic sports trope: when a star is winning, he’s a free spirit; when he’s injured, he’s suddenly immature and lazy.

And the Tom Brady comparison? That’s doing a lot of work. Brady taking “discounted deals” in New England is the NFL’s version of, “Why can’t you be more like your cousin?” Different era, different cap, different style of play, and very different leverage. Lamar is a former MVP in a league that now hands out quarterback contracts like luxury condos. Telling him to “be like Brady” is more nostalgia than business strategy.

As for the Raiders angle: it’s delicious on paper. Tom Brady, the most buttoned-up, avocado-ice-cream quarterback in history, potentially tied to Lamar Jackson, the highlight-reel improviser whose game lives in chaos? That’s not a roster move, that’s a streaming series. But for now, it’s still just that – a columnist’s speculation, not a reported negotiation.

My read: this feels less like a real-time trade plan and more like an old-school “crossroads” column – the kind that nudges a franchise to either recommit to its star or brace fans for a messy breakup.

Receipts

Confirmed

• Mike Preston published a critical commentary about Lamar Jackson in the Baltimore Sun on December 23, 2025, raising questions about his conditioning, attitude, and future with the Ravens (per the column itself).
• The DailyMailUS summary on December 24, 2025, reports Preston’s claims, notes Jackson’s multiple injuries this season (including a recent back contusion), and states he missed Christmas Eve practice while recovering.
• By widely reported league filings in 2024, Tom Brady completed a minority-ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, making him part of the group that would benefit if a star like Jackson ever landed there.
• Jackson’s passing stats and rushing production this season are described as significantly down from his previous year’s numbers in both the Sun column and the Mail recap.

Unverified / Opinion

• The allegation that Jackson sleeps in team meetings and stays up late playing video games comes from Preston’s column and has not been backed by on-the-record comments from the Ravens, Jackson, or teammates.
• Claims that team practice schedules are adjusted specifically to appease Jackson, and that there are “different rules” for him, are Preston’s characterizations, not confirmed team policy.
• The idea that head coach John Harbaugh is “tired” of Jackson is presented as Preston’s opinion; there is no public statement from Harbaugh to that effect.
• Speculation that Miami or Las Vegas are active trade destinations – or that Jackson “would love to play in Miami” – is presented as commentary, not as sourced reporting about ongoing negotiations.

Backstory (For Casual Readers)

For anyone not living on NFL Twitter: Lamar Jackson, 28, is the Baltimore Ravens’ franchise quarterback and a former league MVP known for his electric running and big-play arm. He entered the league in 2018, quickly became the face of the Ravens, and turned their offense into must-see TV. After a long and sometimes tense stretch of contract talks, he landed a massive deal reported to be worth over $250 million. His style of play – fearless runs, constant scrambling – has always come with one big question attached: How long can his body hold up?

What’s Next

Here’s what actually matters in the short term:

• Health watch: Whether Jackson can return for the Ravens’ final two regular-season games – and how he looks if he does – will be the biggest real-world data point, far beyond any columnist’s adjectives.
• Front-office silence (or not): If the Ravens respond publicly to the column, or quietly leak support for Jackson to other outlets, that will tell you a lot about how aligned the team is behind him.
• Contract and cap talk: Preston’s argument for a “Brady-style” discount is likely the opening salvo in a bigger public debate: how much do you pay an aging, injury-hit dual-threat quarterback in a league where the cap is climbing and QB salaries are exploding?
• Rumor vs. reality with Raiders/Dolphins: Until we see credible reporting that either Miami or Las Vegas has picked up the phone – not just a columnist spitballing possibilities – this lives firmly in the land of what-if.

Big picture, Lamar Jackson is standing at the crossroads every superstar eventually hits: Do you reinvent your game and your image as you age, or double down on what made you a star and dare the team to live with the risk?

If the Ravens decide to ride this out with him, this column becomes a footnote in a rough season. If they don’t, we may look back at it as the moment Baltimore started soft-launching the breakup to the fanbase.

Either way, it’s a reminder of how fast the conversation can flip in sports: from “generational talent” to “trade him while you can” in the span of one injury-riddled year.

Your turn: If you were running the Ravens, would you double down on Lamar with a long-term commitment, or quietly explore a blockbuster trade while he still has peak name value?