Following a prolonged injury absence (and a curious no-show during Baltimore’s playoff loss), many have questioned if Lamar Jackson has played his final snap for the Ravens. Many NFL GMs are asking the same question, and some executives have surmised that the quarterback is indeed available. “Rival teams perceive Jackson to be available,” executives told Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post. Some of these possible suitors have already started identifying assets that they could give up in a potential trade.
[RELATED: Ravens Still “All In” On Lamar Jackson Extension]
There are a handful of wrinkles when it comes to a potential Jackson trade. Besides preferring to send Jackson out of the AFC, the Ravens would also be eyeing a deal that nets them both draft picks and young talent. Further, Jackson would have a say in where he’s sent, as no team would sacrifice valuable future assets without an assurance that the quarterback would sign a long-term deal. Plus, assuming Baltimore hits Jackson with an exclusive franchise tag, he would have a de facto no-trade clause until he signs the tender.
Still, there will surely be some teams that are willing to make the blockbuster move. Executives pointed to the Panthers and Falcons as potential suitors, with both teams having made strong runs in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. For Carolina, La Canfora tosses out an idea of a package based around Jaycee Horn, the No. 9 pick, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick, and an NFL GM suggested that’s the kind of trade haul it will take.
“You’ve got to find an owner who hasn’t been able to find his guy [at quarterback] and won’t be scared off by the price tag,” one GM told La Canfora. “And it’s probably a team that is going into next year on the brink. It’s kind of a make-or-break year for the coach or the GM.”
On the flip side, Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes the Ravens won’t trade Jackson in 2023, with the former agent describing 2024 as the “year of reckoning.” A second franchise tag would have the QB eyeing a whopping $54MM haul for the 2024 campaign, and Jackson would still have the ability to finally hit the open market in 2025. Corry opines that the Ravens don’t have to rush a trade right now (especially when they’re in a position to compete), but they’ll be eyeing a significant decision in 2024. If Baltimore doesn’t trade Jackson next offseason, then they’d be running the risk of committing more than $100MM to him for 2023 and 2024 and then being left with just a compensatory pick when he signs elsewhere as a 2025 free agent.
There’s even a chance that Jackson re-signs with the Ravens. It was just last week that we heard the Ravens were still “all-in” on an extension for their franchise player, even with the “powers-that-be” having become “frustrated to the point of exasperated” with the player’s absence. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic cautions that any new deal between the two sides surely won’t be agreed to by the March 7 franchise-tag deadline.
There’s really just one question to answer with Lamar Jackson to decide this. Does a team really believe he’ll be able to adapt when he starts losing a step or two, and his body can’t endure all that it did in his physical prime, or will he rapidly implode like Cam Newton and Russell Wilson?
If the answer is no, paying him top QB money (especially with Watson like guarantees) is a bad move.
Jackson is young. Most young QBs last awhile. Even the running QBs are a good bet to remaining productive to 30. A 5 year contract for Jackson is hardly prohibitive of team success.
You have to account for the increased injury risk that can speed up that decline, and he hasn’t finished a full season in two years now.
This is the much bigger issue. Dude is an athletic freak. He wont be losing a step any time soon. If you could tell me he’d play 80% of the games and be healthy for the playoffs, I’d give him a 6-year fully guaranteed deal if I were them. They’ve built their whole offense around the guy and it usually works.
But he isn’t going to get less injury prone each year. He isn’t going to recover faster as he ages. And that is the much bigger issue in my opinion.
They could get some help from Pete. Not only did he get a lot more in players than has been offered by armchair GMs he got more in picks for Wilson.
This was supposed to go on the Cincysapper thread 1 thread down. Sorry must have scrolled up on accident.
80% of the games won’t do it, as that means in three out of four seasons, your QB1 will not be available for the playoffs (which the hypothetical Jackson-led Ravens will make). One and done, one and done, one and done, every season.
Personal feelings aside on the situation, I think ATL would be a good fit with Arthur Smith if a trade were to go down, especially this year. Minus draft picks though not sure what they can offer. Terrell, Pitts, and Drake are the only untouchables I’d say, but there’s not much desirable beyond them off the top of my head. He’s on the wrong side of his career, but maybe Grady Jarret who at least helps lessen Calais Campbells exit/retirement. Mariota would be a half decent stop-gap for the Ravens to figure out what they’d do moving forward since he’d be able to run their current offense, but might come at a cheaper cost after he’s cut.
There are no untouchable players if you want a franchise QB.
You wouldn’t like the amount of picks it would take if those are the players you are/aren’t willing to give up.
Can’t wait another season to trade him. It’ll simply produce more evidence that he’s injury prone as well as more evidence that MVP season was an outlier. If someone’s willing to overpay for him, jump on it. I’m not sure Baltimores front office is savvy enough to pull this off tho. It is, after all, very risky to trade away a good QB with no one waiting to step in.
I don’t know if the Ravens front office can pull off a deal ???? WTF are you talking about ? They have one of the best front offices in the NFL. You better worry about Joe Burrow, you know the cheap owner in Cincinnati isn’t paying him $250+ million guaranteed.
Huntley is good enough. The Ravens with Huntley and $40 million more to spend on OL, WR, RB are a better team than with Jackson minus $40 million of salary cap.
Draft a talented rookie running QB to bring up to replace Huntley in a couple of years, keep Huntley to spell out the rookie. There’s plenty of injury snaps available to QB2 in a running QB offense.
Huntley has a record of 2-9 as a starter. Not sure that’s what I’d call good enough. If you say that Huntley will be better with better players around him, wouldn’t that also be the case for Jackson?
If they can swing fields a first and second that would be a win. Also if they could swing three firsts or two firsts and a second and ship the second for Trey lance that’s another win. Two qbs similar to Jackson offense won’t change much.
Bears wouldn’t do that. Fields is younger, cheaper, and shown enough to not gamble on Lamar eating a 1/4 of their cap AND giving up those picks. You’re dreaming.
Lance would likely be available in a follow up deal, though the 9ers really have no need to trade him so the Ravens would probably have to give up more than you’d like.
Just spitballing on fields.
I think a follow up lance trade makes sense because this really looks like Brock Purdys team. The eagles would of never moved on from Nick Foles if he was a lot younger. And I believe they just extended wentz in off-season too possibly.
But the 49ers would absolutely take a late first early second for lance imo. He’s coming off serious ankle surgery hasn’t shown anything and this is year 3 and the next year you have decide on his fifth year option. Recoup what you can. Sure he was your 3rd overall pick but sometimes things don’t work out and if the drafted didn’t play the way it did maybe you don’t draft Purdy everything happened for a reason that day.
I could see them doing it for a 1st. I think a 2nd they might balk at. If Purdy goes down Lance could step right back in and light the world on fire. They would have to be VERY sure Purdy is their unquestioned guy AND that Lance just doesn’t have it.
If it’s somehow an early 2nd this year maybe. If its a “projected” early 2nd for next year I think they’d pass. It’s just not worth the risk of Purdy getting hurt or getting exposed in year 2 or Lance turning into a superstar elsewhere.
That Lance is in third-year of rookie contract lowers his value. If Lance shows anything in the last two years of his contract, he’ll be demanding the same big money any QB whose shown potential demands ($20 million plus). Sitting Lance on the bench for another two years is pointless. The Ravens should find their own rookie QB without trading up. Five years of play at a set rate.
With QB inflation gone wild, well constructed rookie-contract QB rosters seem to be what will be winning tickets to the late playoffs. There will be more and more cases of almost dominant teams (Buffalo, KC, Cincinatti, LA Chargers) falling apart as their roster is deleted by salary cap when their QB comes off of rookie contract.
San Francisco is in paradise now, with an excellent roster and a rookie QB.
The Ravens have a win now roster. They don’t have the time to look for a rookie. Most rookies don’t live up to expectations
I’m confused. Why is the word “trade” used so often for a player who’s UFA?
Because they’ll franchise him and trade him if they’re not going to keep him.
Doesn’t he have to sign the franchise contract?
If he doesn’t sign the tag, he doesn’t play. And then he misses out on $47M.
*LeVeon Bell has entered the conversation*
He will be tagged if no signed long term, so he is not technically a UFA.
Not sure what anyone sees in Jackson besides hype. Sure he can run but as far as LEGIT qb his numbers are mediocre. He’s passed for over 3k yards once, as a rusher he has had 31 fumbles. He is nothing but overrated hype and if someone gives up “what it would take” to get him then they are idiots. Lamar Jackson is beyond OVERRATED
I believe he’s 45-16 as a starter and the last 2 years, his replacements are 2-10 in the last 2 years. Baltimore averaged 24 points a game with Jackson this year and 13 points a game without him. The name of the game is to win and Jackson does that, especially in the regular season
Deerhunter – Do those stats show how good Jackson is or how bad his replacements are?
45-17 should tell you how good HE is. 2-10 should tell you how bad life will be without Jackson. Jackson averaged 24 points without Dobbins and Edwards most of his 12 games.
I would sure hope he’s better then Tyler Huntley , josh johnson, rg3 etc. so 2-10 isn’t saying much. Simply put his numbers show he’s overrated and to say he’s worth 3 first round picks PLUS a young talent is ridiculous. His stats show he is overrated.
RamMac….45-17 says he’s overrated? His last 2 years, Baltimore was 16-7 with him at quarterback and 2-10 with someone else. How much more proof do you want?
The idiot is who you see when you look in the mirror.
You um, you don’t watch much football do you? Guessing you never played at any level either
Yes do you? He’s had ONE great year. The rest have been mediocre at best. He’s a running qb I get the “excitement” but to say he’s worthy of a teams future in draft picks is idiotic. Are you trading 3 first rounders for yearly average of 2500 passing 16-8 td to int ratio yes he may get 1k rushing but also averages 8 fumbles a year. Stats show he’s completely overrated.
Throughout his career, he only throws the ball 23 times per game. Do you expect him to throw for 400 yard games? He averages almost 70 yards a game rushing. Baltimore is a running team. There are quarterbacks that put up passing stats but don’t win. I’ll take a quarterback that wins more than twice the games he loses
JLC is a terrible reporter, literally one of the worst, most inaccurate, click bait article writer but IF he’s right i’m not going to be a Ravens fan anymore. you don’t trade the only MVP you will ever have at the most important position in football and if you do you are an idiot. and Steve Bischotti and John Harbaugh are idiots so this actually concerns me
All these sport talk shows have gotten out of hand the last week, the only exception being rapaport on the nfl network
I agree with you, JLC is not good at all. He is so full of himself.
If Le’Veon Bell was a QB he would be Lamar Jackson.
Lamar Jackson should have hired an agent from day one. As the 2019 League MVP he should be the face of State Farm, Cambells Soup, Hertz, and every other NFL owned gaming platform. The contract that he wants would not be an issue and instead the $130 million guaranteed that he was offered is disappearing into the bushes.
Agreed, just like a person representing themselves in court, a player representing themself has a fool for a client. Giving up dollars to save dimes.
Roquan Smith just got $100M and the most guaranteed ever for a MLB as his own agent.
Goodluck on the aging of this tweet
He can’t be the face of those companies, have you ever heard him speak?
Love what Lamar did for Baltimore. The year he took the team to the playoffs after starting 4-5, was great. I’ll never forget the excitement of it. Should’ve done better in the post season. However, first love is now gone and relationship fractured. Maybe a ‘no fault’ divorce. Lamar, make your money because someone is going to pay you. God Bless. Ravens, send him to the NFC and gets some good draft pics. 250m guaranteed money is just too much to spend on one player that only has 1 playoff win. Wish both sides the best.
There is a hilarious video showing Harbaugh discussing Jackson’s availability week-to-week following his initial “day’s, maybe a week” injury proclamation.
Running QBs are not worth the risk of a fully guaranteed contract.
I hope Washington stays away. Total respect for Jackson but I just don’t see him aging well or avoiding the injury bug as he gets older with his play style.
The Jackson argument is the apex of the running QB against a time where the Browns just handed a guy like Watson full boat money.
Football has been around how many years?…There’s a reason there’s a running back.
How many Heisman Trophy QB’s get past 4 years?
How many new-wave running (not scrambling) QB’s are currently injured right now?
Everybody’s going to learn over the next two years is that what works for deal money is QBs that can pocket scramble, but ultimately need to be less eye candy about the running and more with completion.
The follow-up rhetoric is going to be “he’s running because he doesn’t have any good receivers”.
It’s still not going to get the checks signed. The dead money will eventually sink in.
What does the Heisman Trophy have to do with anything? Do you mind me asking how old you are? Football is about advancing the ball forward, at pee-wee level to the NFL. When you have a player that puts pressure on the defense like Lamar does, then good luck stopping the offense
Then he gets injured.
Take a look at Barry Sanders or Ezekiel Elliot or any major RB for that matter. Look at the size of their legs, then look at Jackson’s.
Yes, the double-threat is a headache for DC’s, but it’s only a matter of time until these QB’s can’t walk, and once they get injured they’re not the same anymore.
Just like RGIII, and could be the case for Murray too. Both teams paid the sun and moon for these QB’s, how’s that working out?
Lamar Jackson is a running quarterback. No major injuries. Joe Burrow and Tom Brady are both pocket passers and they both have major knee surgery. Just for facts, both of Jackson’s injuries happened in the pocket
It doesn’t matter how/where they get injured. If you take the run game away from him, what’s his value? Odds are that’s what the Ravens are taking into consideration and to them it doesn’t = Watson $.
Only time will tell, and while everybody from forum boards to ESPN is saying “show him the money”, it’s the riskiest proposition in football right now to give fully guaranteed contracts to running QBs.
Why would you take the run game away from him? I admit that Jackson may lose something when he’s 30, but he’s not close to that. You act like he’s a running back. He’s a running quarterback that knows when to slide and when to run out of bounds. He’s not Josh Allen who actually looks for contact
You can’t take the run game from Jackson because that’s more-a-less his design. I hear what you’re saying with that and any of these running QBs, it’s just that the discussion with him currently is (AFAIK) top dog money. If they’re going to give him top tier money, guaranteed money, they have to weigh in risks because that is part of his game plan and what the Ravens have planned around him.
And I’m not saying that he doesn’t deserve competitive payment either, it’s just that what do they do if/when he can’t run? It’s easy for any of us to say ‘pay him!’ because it only takes one year to win a Super Bowl, but it’s not an easy discussion when discussing guaranteed money.
If Josh Allen lost half of his running ability due to a busted knew he could still throw. On the same comparative analysis, how does Jackson fit into that scenario, know what I mean? Heck, any of these guys.
This won’t be the last time this sort of media discussion happens because it’s just the nature of having a running QB that wants one-year money in a five-year-package.
Jackson isn’t going to have the statistics of those other guys passing wise. He has only averaged 23 attempts per game in his career. He averaged 70 yards a game running the ball in his career. Jackson accounts for 244 yards per game in his career. As for guarantee money, how many quarterbacks in today’s medical advances have lost their career because of an injury? Burrow had a torn ACL and came back the following year and went to the Super Bowl. Players still get paid when they’re injured so his salary is kinda guaranteed
The hard part with guaranteed money is the salary cap. The Browns and Broncos both sold the farm for their quarterback, and the Broncos at least are really in a free agent harness if Wilson can’t at least be decent.
On the other hand, if the Ravens are only willing to give him a rumored, like, $130 million I can see why there’s a problem. He deserves $200+ money, but the guaranteed part with a running quarterback is the issue. Burrow isn’t built on running as much, so a torn ACL isn’t going to come into question as much at the bargaining table.
It’s a risky game, but they’re going to have to find a middle ground as this position evolves.
Again, athletes are coming back just as good with a torn ACL. The list is endless. Now,I agree age will slow running quarterbacks down but Jackson is still young.
To be honest, I’d be thrilled with Purdy. That tells you the offense has it together.
Cards send Murray and Hopkins plus this years R1 and R2 picks plus next years R2.
Who would actually want Murray in a trade? Lol
No thanks for the Falcons, he’s an illiterate quitter with no heart that expects a massive guarantee because his mommy told him that he should get one. Keep the picks, get some QB depth, build around Ridder.
Ridder? Haha
You ok?
When Lamar came out of college I commented he’d be injured a lot and for that reason I wouldn’t have him… His ability to run the ball led to this conclusion. So far he’s been an MVP but has not won a championship. I’m sure there are owners out there willing to risk millions on him, but my contention hasn’t changed…
Burrow hasn’t been an MVP. Hasn’t won a Championship either. Had a torn ACL as a professional. Would you pay him?
Isn’t Murray out until late next year with ACL and Hopkins having PED issues this year.? Looks likes Ravens will want to keep Lamar, but he will have to compromise on the guarantee or it’s a breakup.
Murray will probably be ready for the opener. Burrow got injured in December and started game one the next season
Hey deer hunter- would you take rifraff Cards offer for Lamar?
If you’re Baltimore and you can fit those 2 under your cap, I would. Baltimore is a team built to win now and they can’t afford to develop a quarterback. They have a stout defense. A good running game and a good offensive line when everyone is healthy.