Reportedly, MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is ready to move on from the Baltimore Ravens. Could he find himself on a new team in 2023? If this is true, then the NFL could be changed in a significant way.
The AFC is loaded with talented quarterbacks, and one of those quarterbacks, 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson, could realistically play for another team in 2023 and beyond. According to Mike Florio, Jackson could be ready to move on from the Baltimore Ravens after five successful seasons
"As one source explained it, the person has said that Jackson does not want a fully-guaranteed contract. Some regard this as a possible exercise in semantics, with Jackson still wanting a very significant amount fully guaranteed — up to $200 million or more — with one more more non-guaranteed years on the back end.Another source said that the representative is telling other teams that Lamar is ready to move on from the Ravens."
Florio provides two significant updates here. The first one, just mentioned, is that Jackson is ready to move on from the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and made him a millionaire.
The second nugget here is that Lamar Jackson apparently does not want a fully guaranteed contract.
This could be huge for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the initial reports were that Jackson did want a fully guaranteed pact, likely because of the deal that Deshaun Watson signed with the Cleveland Browns.
Watson’s deal could set an ugly precedent for QBs in their quest for new contracts. However, this report indicates that Jackson now does not want that fully guaranteed contract.
I do wonder if this is Lamar Jackson backing off a bit to get other teams interested in making a move for him?
If he is done with the Ravens, he’d likely want to go to a different team that could offer him long-term security an a reasonably quick path to winning, right?
Well, if he now does not want a fully guaranteed pact, that could allow some of those teams to jump back into the sweepstakes.
Think about it; if that report is true, then the cost to acquire Jackson just became so much more realistic.
You’re telling me that a team could have an MVP caliber QB and the best running QB of all time for just two first round picks and $200 million guaranteed?
Sign. Me. Up.
Teams would be foolish to not explore this possibility, and we’ll see if anything ramps up.