When Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was 25, he came into camp heavier. When he was 27, he came in lighter. Now, at 28, Jackson said he’s arriving at training camp wiser.

As he heads into his eighth season, Jackson isn’t preoccupied with shaping himself in any particular way. Instead, he’s focused on “everything.”

“I’m really just getting started for real.”

Lamar Jackson

Everything except the one thing that’s been his main focus for years — the Super Bowl.

That’s not to say Jackson doesn’t want to win a Super Bowl. His desire for that ring has not changed since the day he was drafted. But he’s taking a different approach this year.

“To be honest, I’m really not trying to think that far,” Jackson said. “Because every time we have those discussions, man, we get to playoffs, but we don’t punch in. We don’t finish. So I’m pretty much just trying to finish camp the correct way and then get ready for the Bills. I’m not really trying to think about the Super Bowl yet.”

Instead, he’s evaluating how he can be better in every way. He went back through last year’s games, looking at every mistake, and concluded that he did “aight” last season.

Jackson made history in 2024 after passing for more than 4,000 yards and rushing for more than 900 yards in the regular season. He finished second in MVP voting despite leading Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in almost every statistical category.

Jackson says he doesn’t care about being the MVP. But he does care about being the best. And he says there’s more to come despite making history last year.

“I’m only 28,” Jackson said. “I’m really just getting started for real.”

Tight end Mark Andrews, one of Jackson’s favorite targets over the years, joked that he expects Jackson to hit his peak in 10 years. In all seriousness, coach John Harbaugh said there’s room for Jackson to grow, even if it’s hard to picture what that will look like.

“Lamar’s young,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, he’s in his eighth year, yet he’s only 28 years old. I think that’s pretty rare. So his window to improve is really big.”

Harbaugh said one of the main reasons he has faith in Jackson is that he never settles and always strives to improve. He has broken down his own game — he pointed to the four interceptions he threw in the regular season and said he wants to hold on to the ball better — as well as the entire offense’s game.

He mentioned to wide receiver Zay Flowers over the offseason that he wants to have more meetings with his teammates to improve chemistry.

Now that Jackson is back out on the field for training camp, he said he’s been trying different passes and looks — even if it means going rogue from offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s calls.

“Coach Monk probably get on me a little bit because he be wanting me to throw the ball certain places, but I’m like, sometimes in the game, it might not happen the way it is in practice,” Jackson said. “So I pretty much just try to hit passes that I normally might not get in the game, looks that I might not get in the game, and I try everything.”

Even if he doesn’t always listen, Jackson said, he pretty much knows what Monken’s thinking now that they’re heading into their third year together. That added chemistry is another reason Jackson could improve on an already historic career.

Between his own growth and that of the guys around him, Jackson expects big things, even if he’s trying to stay focused on the now.

“I say that every year, though,” Jackson said. “But yeah, I mean, we’ve got a great group of guys. Great wide receiving corps, great running backs, great tight ends, a great offensive line. We’ve got the same guys back. Probably one guy missing out the O-line. Defense looking incredible, as always. We’re looking great on paper, like I said. But we’re going to see when the time comes.”