It’s time for the Baltimore Ravens to let Lamar Jackson loose, and it’s time for the rest of the NFL to stop dragging its feet and get after a trade for one of the league’s most exciting playmakers at the most important position in the game. Enough is enough. There was more interest around the league — at least known public interest — back in 2009 when the New England Patriots franchise tagged Matt Cassel.
How is there not more interest in the 2019 NFL MVP, who is just 26 years old and presumably has a ton of great years ahead of him? Say what you will about Jackson’s last couple of seasons, but when his production seemingly dropped off after that historic 2019 season (one in which he led the NFL in passing TDs despite ranking 32nd in pass attempts), his efficiency has improved steadily in 2021 and 2022.
The Ravens have known about this for 25 days and have responded with Nelson Agholor.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 27, 2023
Stay the course Baltimore.
A lot of people try to point to missed games as a reason why Lamar Jackson is not being heavily pursued, which is ridiculous. Deshaun Watson — who has two previous major knee injuries — sat out the entire 2021 season before being traded for a king’s ransom to the Cleveland Browns. Perhaps it is Watson’s situation that is preventing a deal for Jackson from going down, but there were multiple teams apparently interested in Watson last year.
How could there not be multiple teams besides the Ravens that would want Lamar Jackson and be willing to pay the price to get him? These three NFL teams need to stop dragging their feet and make Jackson an offer to get him out of Baltimore.
3 teams that need to take the plunge and go after Lamar Jackson
1. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have spent the last handful of years trying to find a solution for the quarterback position after Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement. Among other moves made at the position, the Colts have:
- Traded for Jacoby Brissett
- Signed veteran Philip Rivers
- Traded for Matt Ryan
They hired Frank Reich to come and work with Luck and make this team a perennial contender in the AFC, but that didn’t end up the way they had hoped. Can you imagine if Reich and Luck were still working together today? There would be All-22 clips galore circulating on the internet with how gorgeous that brand of football would be.
As it is, the Colts have hired Shane Steichen to come in and transform the franchise. He’s done outstanding work with Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts at his last two stops. Who’s to say he couldn’t do the same with the backfield combination of Lamar Jackson and Jonathan Taylor?
Trading for Lamar should be a no-brainer for a team that has seemingly been willing to try everything else at the position, and currently holds the 4th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
2. Atlanta Falcons
Can someone please ask the Atlanta Falcons what they are doing? This team has former third-round pick Desmond Ridder on its roster along with free agent signing Taylor Heinicke. The signing of Heinicke does give the Falcons a legitimate veteran starting option for the 2023 season, but are they really going to roll with Ridder and Heinicke at the expense of acquiring someone like Lamar Jackson?
This is not the first year on the job for Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot, the Falcons’ head coach and GM combo. They have been at this for going on three years now. Fontenot left the Saints to come to the Falcons in 2021, so this is his third offseason with the team. It’s been a big undertaking for Fontenot and Smith, but this team looked decent for a good chunk of the 2022 season.
Adding a playmaker like Lamar Jackson into the mix could make the Falcons legitimate contenders in the NFC South, but there’s this…
The Atlanta Falcons will not be pursuing QB Lamar Jackson, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 7, 2023
The Falcons will not be pursuing Lamar Jackson, eh?
What is going on with that? Why would they not? The Falcons are a team that is built to run the ball right now and they have the ideal types of playmakers in the passing game — former first-round picks Kyle Pitts and Drake London — to really help Lamar Jackson excel. Is it the money for the Falcons? They certainly have the cap space to make a deal like this happen.
Is it the draft compensation? Who are the Falcons going to pick in the NFL Draft that gives them a better chance to win than Lamar Jackson? Their division rivals in Carolina just traded up for the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft. They’re going to get a quarterback there.
The Saints just traded for Derek Carr. They’ve upgraded.
The Buccaneers might be tanking, but they won the Super Bowl recently. What is it the Falcons are doing here, exactly?
3. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans were an expansion team back in 2002, but general manager Nick Caserio seems to like to treat his roster like an expansion team every year he’s been on the job so far. Caserio has mastered the art of the one-year free agent deals and the Texans have found at least some measure of success with his mad scientist method of building the roster.
The Houston Texans do not currently have a long-term QB option in place. It’s reasonable to assume that they want to draft someone to pair up with new head coach DeMeco Ryans and the offensive staff he’s assembled, led by young OC Bobby Slowik. The Carolina Panthers leap-frogged the Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft order, so it’s possible that Houston won’t be able to get the QB1 on its board.
Is it QB1 or bust for Nick Caserio? If that’s the case, what if he decided to use that 2nd overall pick on another franchise cornerstone, get through the entire 2023 NFL Draft, and then write Lamar Jackson an offer sheet after the 2023 NFL Draft?
That way, he would be giving up picks in 2024 and 2025 to the Ravens instead of 2023 and 2024. Maybe some teams are thinking big-brain on that one just in general, but that obviously doesn’t make the apparent lack of interest in Jackson make any more sense.
The Texans have a strong core being built on their roster. They obviously have a ton of additional NFL Draft capital after the Deshaun Watson trade last offseason. If any team is set up well to be able to make a deal for Lamar Jackson, it’s them. Why would they not? Jackson is a player that could completely revitalize this franchise.
Would the Texans just rather take their chances with Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, or Anthony Richardson on a rookie deal? Is it really good business to say you want to change the culture of this franchise and then not take an opportunity to at least pursue a former MVP at the QB position when you’ve got the chance to do it?
The Texans should stop dragging their feet and hoarding their draft picks, and make a trade for Lamar Jackson.