Instead of thinking about being the NFL's youngest offensive coordinator at age 29, Declan Doyle is focused on helping the Ravens have the league's most prolific attack.
Speaking on "The Lounge" podcast, Doyle discussed many topics, including his vision for Baltimore's offense and eagerness to seize the moment in his first opportunity as a play-caller. Doyle is diving headfirst into the job and thinks that being young will be part of what makes him successful.
"I view it as an advantage," Doyle said. "Because I've grown up in the same world as some of these guys, I'm able to connect with them maybe a little bit easier than it might be for somebody who's 20 years older than a player. I've never viewed it as a setback. It's actually something I've found that's been a benefit to me.
"Knowledge is power. If you can help a player, they really don't care where you come from. They don't care how old you are. If you can help them advance their career, if you can help them advance our team and goals, they're willing to listen, and they're wide open to that."
As part of the intriguing staff hired by new Head Coach Jesse Minter, Doyle is the same age as two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Doyle and Jackson have communicated since Doyle took the job, and he is looking forward to their relationship growing in the months leading up to Week 1.
"That trust is going to be earned through time," Doyle said. "It's not like I can call up Lamar and say, 'Hey, I need you to trust me.' We'll earn that over time, and it's really going to be a two-way street. He's got to earn my trust [and] I have to earn his trust, and that goes for every player that we have.
"It's a huge piece of what we envision here. Trust is built off communication and accountability to that communication. Accountability is us saying something and doing what we say."
Doyle has quickly risen through the coaching ranks. He started as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and followed Sean Payton to Denver to be his tight ends coach for two seasons. That opportunity led him to Chicago, where he was the Bears' offensive coordinator in 2025.
Doyle played a huge role in building the game plan for the Bears offense, but Head Coach Ben Johnson called the plays. However, Doyle believes he has built a firm foundation to become an excellent play-caller.
"My role last year was to support Ben, support the rest of the staff, make sure I was giving ideas," Doyle said. "Ben may have had other things going on as the head coach. You were setting the table to where he could come in and most of the work was already done.
"The difference here is being able to put your own spin on some of those things. This is really a collaborative thing with myself and our staff. This is our offense. This is the 2026 Baltimore Ravens. This is what we want it to look like."
Having a quarterback like Jackson to lead the offense is something that made coming to Baltimore even more attractive to Doyle. After seeing Jackson do marvelous things on tape, Doyle will have the opportunity to work with Jackson as Baltimore's offense evolves.
"When you watch the tape, there's not really any throws that he can't make," Doyle said. "He's very arm-talented. I think there's even a higher ceiling to his game. You're looking at a guy that's been the MVP twice. And yet I still think just like all our guys, he still has room to grow.
"It's a surreal opportunity, and yet it's one that I feel very ready to do."
Doyle said he hasn't decided yet if he will call plays from the sideline or the coach's box. He discussed both options with Jackson, but there's plenty of time to make that decision.
"I was like, 'What would you rather have?'" Doyle said. "[Jackson] said he's never had a coach call it from the field. I'd like to experience both and work through it with the staff. We'll kind of try both and figure out what's more comfortable."
