The Tennessee Titans are currently mulling over what they’re going to do at the quarterback position in 2023 and, technically, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is now among those options.
With the Ravens slapping the non-exclusive franchise tag on their star player, Jackson can now negotiate with other teams and sign an offer sheet that Baltimore will have the opportunity to match.
However, if the Ravens don’t match, they receive a pair of first-round picks from the team acquiring him. The Ravens could also opt to trade Jackson if they see fit.
The move to non-exclusive franchise tag Jackson will allow the rest of the league to help dictate his price after months of negotiations between the two sides failed to yield any results.
The sticking point appears to be guaranteed money, with Jackson looking for a deal along the lines of what Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns, a contract that pays him $230 million guaranteed.
As soon as news broke of the Ravens’ move with Jackson, multiple media outlets began putting out lists of the best team fits, including ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who has the Titans as the 10th-best fit for Jackson.
Barnwell gives reasons for and against Tennessee pursuing Jackson, with the main reason for being the team’s need to solve the quarterback position for the long haul. Here’s why he says the Titans shouldn’t consider it.
Why they shouldn’t consider it: If the Titans really are looking at their roster as a rebuilding situation, sending out multiple first-round picks to acquire a quarterback who’s about to make $50 million per season doesn’t really add up. Carthon needs to come up with a post-Tannehill solution at quarterback, but that solution seems more likely to come from the draft than it does from a conference rival.
With a roster missing a half-decade of first-round picks who either went elsewhere or flamed out, the Titans probably aren’t in position to trade away more draft capital. Their last first-round pick to play his way into a second deal with the organization is Lewan in 2015. Jeffery Simmons will break that streak when he signs a new contract, but they need to add more first-round picks to their roster.
Barnwell ultimately doesn’t think the Titans are a good fit for Jackson, citing Tennessee’s offensive line issues and young receiving corps.
I don’t think so. The Titans have some promising second-year playmakers in Treylon Burks and Chigoziem Okonkwo, but it would take some projection for those two to match the Baltimore duo of Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews. The offensive line is also a work in progress after cutting Lewan, with four-year starter Nate Davis also hitting free agency. If they release or trade Henry, they’ll be down to just one player from the starting offensive lineup that played against the Ravens in the 2020 playoffs.
Crazier things have happened but I don’t think there’s any chance the Ravens would ever allow the Titans to come away with Jackson thanks to their rivalry, whether that be via offer sheet or trade.
Baltimore certainly wouldn’t trade Jackson to Tennessee, and they would be able to match any Titans offer sheet given to Jackson, which I’d expect them to do barring Tennessee offering an outrageous deal.
And this is all assuming the Titans are interested, and I’m not so sure they are, especially if the plan is to blow it up and rebuild.
Putting the rebuild part aside for now, Jackson has missed 10 games the past two years, which is ominous for the injury-plagued Titans if they were to invest big money and picks into the former first-round pick.
Not to mention, the Titans should be looking to alter their offensive approach with a bit more emphasis on the pass. Acquiring Jackson would do the opposite of that.
As exciting as it would be to watch Jackson and Derrick Henry in the same backfield, chances are slim and none that we ever see it in Nashville.
