The Baltimore Ravens were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson before the Tuesday, March 7th deadline. Instead, the Ravens slapped a non-exclusive franchise tag on the 2019 NFL MVP, who is now free to negotiate with other teams. If Jackson signs an offer sheet with another NFL franchise, Baltimore will have the opportunity to either match it or get two first-round draft picks in exchange for his services.
Top NFL Resources:
Statement from GM Eric DeCosta: pic.twitter.com/LOnW8XpPL5
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 7, 2023
Jackson threw for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season, and the 26-year-old added another 764 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Jackson did, however, end up missing five regular-season games and he wasn’t available in a 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the postseason. Now, the dual-threat superstar has some decisions to make.
Jackson could opt to hold out in hopes of securing a fully guaranteed contract, which is what he has been pushing for since the Cleveland Browns ponied up and gave one to Deshaun Watson. Jackson can either hold out until the start of the regular season, or he can make the decision not to play at all. We have seen that happen before and the threat of it would put significant pressure on a franchise that hasn’t had much success without Jackson on the field — even though backup Tyler Huntley inexplicably made the Pro Bowl last season.
Jackson and the Ravens have until July 17th to figure out what a new contract would look like. If the two parties can’t come to some sort of agreement, they’ll have to wait until after the season to talk about it again. But it does look like momentum is building towards a trade, with the relationship between Jackson and the Ravens deteriorating and plenty of NFL franchises interested in adding one of the most dynamic signal callers in the history of the sport. For what it’s worth, quite a few teams are reportedly not interested in pursuing a Jackson deal. But eventually somebody will make the call.
Teams that reportedly will *not* be pursuing a deal for Lamar Jackson include:
▫️Falcons
▫️Dolphins
▫️Panthers
▫️Commanders
▫️Raiders— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 7, 2023
If you feel strongly about any teams having a chance at acquiring Jackson, you can always turn to the futures market and try betting on them to find some success this upcoming season. You could also turn to betting the NFL Draft by backing the Ravens to select one of the many impressive quarterbacks in this class. And if you’re feeling really bold, there’s always the option of betting Ravens futures in hopes of the two parties finding a resolution.
Regardless of how you want to play the market, Jackson potentially being available to other franchises is big news. This is one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league and he’s smack in the middle of his prime. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, and we’ll be following the story closely at VSiN.
