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Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
Maybe it’s something Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will learn over time — he’s only 29 years old after all and just being put in charge of an NFL offense for the 1st time.
Still, you shouldn’t have to be an NFL veteran coach to understand there’s certain things that should be said in public … and certain things that should either be said behind closed doors or just not at all.
Doyle might also learn the benefits of not calling out your team’s star player in public — or at least not before you’ve ever coached him in a single game.
Less than one month into his tenure as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, Doyle is already in the public crosshairs and could face NFL punishment over comments about players being expected to attend voluntary offseason workouts — which would be a direct violation of the NFLPA collective bargaining agreement.
Doyle’s words seemed very much intended for 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“We would expect (players) to be here and, certainly, it is voluntary,” Doyle said. “But, if you want to say that you’re going to win a championship, you want to say that you have championship standards, and those are your goals and your expectations — certainly that’s going to take work, that’s going to take collaboration, and that’s going to take the beginning of building the relationship with their coaches (and) other players starting off this next regime on the right foot.”
The CBA is just 1 of those things you can’t get around, which Doyle will likely find out sooner than later.
From the NFL’s CBA: “No Club official may indicate to a player that the Club’s offseason workout program or classroom instruction is not voluntary.”
“I understand Declan Doyle wants to send a message,” WC Gridiron’s Erik Duerrwaechter wrote on his official X account. “But, applying pressure to attend voluntary practices that’ll piss the NFLPA off isn’t a wise move. Rookie mistake.”
‘Limited’ Dialogue With NFL MVP QB Lamar Jackson
Jackson signed a 5-year, $260 million contract extension before the 2023 season and can make an extra $750,000 by participating in a certain number of voluntary offseason workouts. The last 2 years, he’s given up $1.5 million in the process by not meeting those bonus requirements.
While it might seem like a little thing to outside observers, consider that the last 3 Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks — Sam Darnold, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes — have all been regular attendees at OTAs throughout their careers and in the offseason before their Super Bowl wins.
Jackson has never played in a Super Bowl and made the AFC Championship Game just once, losing to Mahomes following the 2023 season.
Doyle Doubled Down on Voluntary Workouts
Doyle made some interesting comments about his interaction to this point with Jackson in a discussion with the Ravens’ official website — and seemed to stoke the OTA fires even more.
“It’s been limited, but I would say this: I feel a guy that is hungry to learn, hungry to grow, very excited about the opportunity to work together … as I am excited to work with him,” Doyle said. “A guy that knows his ceiling still hasn’t been reached yet. … Every conversation’s been really good thus far. I’m really excited to get him back here with the rest of our players and get to work.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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