5 trades to shake up the 2023 NFL season

1. Lamar Jackson to the Detroit Lions

The Baltimore Ravens and former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson continue to struggle with contract negotiations. The latest rumor is that Jackson turned down a contract that offered $133 million in guaranteed money — with the possibility of earning $290 million over six seasons.

Apparently, the Ravens can blame their divisional rivals for the holdup as their fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal for Deshaun Watson has led Jackson to demand a 100 percent guarantee for himself as well.

Of course, there was a huge difference between the Jackson negotiations and Watson’s — and those who complain that the league is mad at Cleveland are ignoring one major point. The Browns had to do something to convince Watson to join their team. This wasn’t an in-house contract discussion where the two sides had time to go back and forth.

This was a bidding war with several teams involved and Cleveland had to do something to show Watson he needed to pick them — and that meant giving him a fully guaranteed contract.

Those who are mad at the Browns are also forgetting that they’re not the first team to do this. The Minnesota Vikings gave Kirk Cousins a fully-guaranteed deal in 2018 as they lured him to Minnesota in free agency. So to recap — proven quarterbacks looking for a new home had all of the power and can get whatever they want.

That’s why Jackson knows he can ask for what he wants and hold his ground. If the Ravens don’t give in, he knows someone out there will. In this scenario, that someone is the Detroit Lions.

Detroit was a surprise team in the second half and nearly made it into the postseason. Adding Jackson wouldn’t just get them in, but it would make them a real threat to run the table in the NFC.

They also have two first-round picks in this upcoming draft, meaning they can put together quite the offer for the Ravens as they look to shake things up in the NFL.