Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry to sit out preseason opener vs. Colts, per John Harbaugh

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will both sit out the Baltimore Ravens’ preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, coach John Harbaugh told reporters. It’s not surprising news as the team already knows what it’s getting out of those stars and likely doesn’t want to risk a potential injury.

Jackson was back at the Ravens practice on Tuesday after missing Monday due to a personal reason. The two-time MVP is getting ready to enter his eighth NFL season as the starting quarterback after throwing for a career-high 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns to only four interceptions in 2024. He also added 915 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground.

Henry just wrapped up his first season in Baltimore after playing the first eight years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. He rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns this past season and looks to continue his run of dominance in 2025.

The Ravens are coming off of a 12-5 finish this past year but lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs to the Buffalo Bills. They’ll hope to make it back this season and part of that is ensuring the health of key players like Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.

Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens agree to two-year, $30 million extension

The Ravens reached a deal with Henry in May to keep the running back in Baltimore for another two seasons. The two-year and $30 million extension comes with $25 million fully guaranteed over the next two seasons. That’s the largest deal in NFL history for a running back over the age of 30.

This comes after the Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley came to terms on an extension earlier in the offseason for a two-year, $41.2 million contract. That was record-setting as the largest for a running back in NFL history.

For his career, Henry has 11,423 yards and 106 touchdowns. He’s averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. He also has 174 career receptions for 1,651 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, with Henry signed back on for another two seasons, the hope is that Baltimore will be able to get over the hump in the coming seasons and return to the Super Bowl. He might not play in the preseason opener, but he’ll definitely be on the field when the Ravens kick off the regular season against the Bills on Sept. 7.

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.