The Baltimore Ravens should not trade superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. He’s proving now as much as ever that he’s the heart and soul of that Baltimore Ravens team, but with one eye on the future, would Lamar play on the franchise tag in 2023? I’m not sure, and nobody else really knows that, either.
What we do know is that, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jackson has already turned down an extension offer from the Ravens worth $290 million in total money and $133 million guaranteed at signing. Would the Ravens draw a line in the sand with their most valuable player? Is there a line they would not cross financially that would cause them to part ways with Jackson and reload at the quarterback position?
Again, it’s more likely than anything else that the Ravens and Jackson are able to figure something out and get a deal done. But as of right now, that remains a major question mark and Jackson could very well use the leverage of leaking potential future destinations as a way to get the Ravens to commit to his contractual demands. We have seen that from a number of star quarterbacks in the last couple of years.
Let’s just take a trip down hypothetical lane here and look at the five best options for the future if the Ravens and Lamar Jackson can’t come to a deal, and they decide instead to pursue a blockbuster trade (in no particular order)
Lamar Jackson trade destination no. 1: Indianapolis Colts
One team that can’t — or shouldn’t — be counted out of a potential blockbuster trade is the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have shown a willingness under general manager Chris Ballard to be very aggressive when it comes to making changes to the roster, especially in regards to the quarterback position.
In the last three years, the Colts have:
- Spent big free agent money on Philip Rivers
- Traded for Carson Wentz
- Traded for Matt Ryan
Do we really think that if there’s the possibility of acquiring Lamar Jackson that Ballard won’t be all over it? I’m sure he’d at least try to make a big offer to get Jackson to Indianapolis, which would be smart even just one year into the Matt Ryan experiment. The Colts are currently 0-2, which historically has been horrendous news for teams and their playoff chances.
If Ryan can’t get the Colts to the playoffs, there’s no doubt that this team would try to make some kind of change at the position if an opportunity to get a star presented itself.
Lamar Jackson potential trade destination no. 2: Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are 0-1-1 to start the 2022 season, but Lovie Smith has his team playing hard. In Week 1, the Texans tied with the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 2, they collapsed in the fourth quarter on the road against the Denver Broncos. At this point, Davis Mills has shown plenty of potential, but will he be able to string together enough consistent play throughout this season to stick as the team’s QB of the future?
The Texans were put in a tough situation by Deshaun Watson with his actions off the field, and obviously, everybody knows at this point that Houston made the (right) decision to trade him away to the highest bidder. That highest bidder, the Cleveland Browns, sent the Texans first-round picks for life in exchange for Watson.
In all seriousness, the Texans have no shortage of draft capital and frankly, they may be in the best position to entice a team like the Ravens with an offer. Let’s say for the moment that the Texans get the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Ravens would then have the opportunity to pick a QB of their choosing like Bryce Young of Alabama or CJ Stroud of Ohio State.
Not only that, but they would also have the Browns’ selection from Houston (assuming any Lamar Jackson trade costs at least three first-round picks and then some), a future first-round pick, and their own first-round pick to work with.
When you’re talking about reloading a roster, you don’t really get better opportunities than that. The Ravens would probably much prefer just to keep Lamar Jackson than rebuild or reload, but if Jackson’s contract demands are not in line with what the Ravens want to do, they could do a lot worse than sending him to Houston for a king’s ransom of picks.
Lamar Jackson potential trade destination no. 3: Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are always DTT.
Down to trade.
General manager Howie Roseman is the NFL’s equivalent to all of us in Madden or fantasy football, constantly looking for the next big trade that can upgrade his roster. And as far as the realm of realism? Roseman doesn’t dwell there. He lives outside the box.
It’s one big reason why so many people love and respect the work he does as a general manager, even from the outside looking in at the Eagles. The Eagles won a Super Bowl in the 2017 season — just five years ago — with a completely different roster than the one that is trotting out there here in 2022. Now, roster turnover over five years is not uncommon, but you have to remember that the Eagles thought at that time that they had a core in place to win from now on with.
That didn’t end up being the case, obviously, and this team has been almost entirely rebuilt from the coaching staff on down.
As of right now, the Eagles seem rather content with Jalen Hurts as their quarterback, and you can’t really fault them for that. Their offense made strides last year. We saw some good things in Week 1, especially from newcomer AJ Brown, one of the biggest bargain acquisitions of the entire 2022 offseason.
If the Eagles don’t win it all in 2022, I think any and every option at QB would be on the table. Especially with the way they are operating offensively these days, I would imagine that the potential of acquiring Lamar Jackson in a trade would be right there at the top of the priority list if the Ravens even made the slightest inkling they would be willing to listen to a deal.
Lamar Jackson potential trade destination no. 4: Detroit Lions
Through two games of the 2022 NFL season, there are few offenses as explosive as the Detroit Lions. Wait, what? Did I really just type that? Is that true?
Yes, it’s true. The Lions are averaging over 30 points per game in the first two weeks of the season and they’re 1-1 after beating the Washington Commanders in Week 2. Things are really looking up as far as the future of this Lions franchise, but what about at the quarterback position? Well, you’ve got to tip your cap to Jared Goff at this point. He’s at least somewhat responsible for the Lions’ offensive success despite the fact that the internet seemingly loves to just rip the guy.
Even though Goff has made strides in Detroit, and the Lions are having a lot of offensive success right now, you can’t help but wonder how dynamic this offense could be going forward with a player like Lamar Jackson under center.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes made the decision in his first year on the job to trade away the Lions’ franchise quarterback — Matthew Stafford — and he watched him go win a Super Bowl immediately in his first year with the Los Angeles Rams. In making that move, Holmes sent a message that this Detroit team was in an obvious rebuild, but the rebuild has been accelerated thanks to Detroit’s collection of skill player talent developing rather quickly.
The Lions have multiple first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade. They could potentially put together a trade package the Ravens would have a hard time passing up but really, this is all about getting a superstar QB to Detroit to go with the rest of the amazing talent they have on that side of the ball. The Lions would be a legitimate contender in the NFC with Jackson under center.
Heck, they might be with Jared Goff under center.
Lamar Jackson potential trade destination no. 5: Seattle Seahawks
Another team that has a QB vacancy, is always willing to make a deal, and has draft picks to spend?
The Seahawks won their season opener against the Denver Broncos in an emotionally charged game where Russell Wilson made his return to Lumen Field. In Week 2, the Seahawks came crashing back to reality with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on the road. Although Seattle showed some tremendous resolve in Week 1, it would be surprising to see them picking outside of the top five of the 2023 NFL Draft with Geno Smith under center the whole season.
With all due respect to Smith, most people aren’t overly high on the Seahawks this year and we’ll see how the season progresses for them. Seattle doesn’t plan on rolling over anytime soon, though. They gave a big contract extension to DK Metcalf and used multiple high draft choices on offensive tackles and even a running back.
Seattle is preparing itself for the next quarterback to come in already, and if Lamar Jackson becomes available, Seattle will have multiple first-round picks to offer the Ravens in 2023, one of which might end up being a top two or three pick in the entire Draft.
And if things keep going the way they are, that pick from the Broncos won’t look so bad, either.
Seattle may not have the best roster right now, but they have certain pieces in place that could entice Jackson and they are estimated to have almost $48 million in cap space as of right now, so that won’t be an issue after clearing Russell Wilson’s deal off the books.