Lamar Jackson shocked the NFL world on Monday when he revealed that he requested a trade away from the Baltimore Ravens in early March amid a contract standoff.
The 26-year-old 2019 NFL MVP is said to want a fully guaranteed contract, something the Ravens, nor any other team is yet to offer the quarterback. And as a result of the contract dispute, the Ravens have placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson.
That means that if a player on a non-exclusive tag agrees to a deal with a new team, the original team can match it or refuse and be awarded two first-round picks as compensation.
"A letter to my fans," Jackson’s statement began. "I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show towards me. All of you are amazing and I appreciate y’all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me.
"Let me personally answer your questions in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value.
"Any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the Super Bowl. You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I."
Whether Jackson smooths things over with the Ravens or gets his wish of a trade away granted is yet to be seen. Some of the blame for Jackson’s inability to secure a fully guaranteed contract has been placed at the door of fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
Former NFL star Richard Sherman says Mahomes should have looked to set a "precedent" with a fully guaranteed deal instead of taking the "B.S." 10-year contract that he ended up accepting. Mahomes signed a 10-year, $477million (£385m) deal in July 2020 that included just $63m (£50.9m) in fully guaranteed money.
Regardless, Jackson is held in high regard across the league. In fact, he’s seen as a superstar. It’s just whether the numbers are right, or whether the draft picks are worth losing. Here's a look at what some teams have said when asked about Jackson.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons’ starting quarterbacks are Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. They also have the No.8 pick in the first-round of the draft. Coach Arthur Smith wasn’t receptive to talk of a move for Jackson. "We are going to talk about our own players,” Smith declared.
Owner Arthur Blank, however, was more complimentary of Jackson but did question whether a franchise can afford for a star player of his quality to miss so many games. "Looking at it objectively, I'd say there's some concern over how long can he play his style of game," Blank said. "Hopefully, a long time ... but he's missed five, six games each of the last two years. Each game counts a lot in our business."
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers’ quarterbacks heading into the 2023 season are Andy Dalton, Matt Corral and Jacob Eason. They hold the No.1 pick in the first-round of the draft, and appear to be keen to stay focussed on that heading into next month.
General manager Scott Fitterer said last week: "[Jackson's] a great option, a really expensive option. But we're focused on more of the draft picks at this point."
Detroit Lions
Jared Goff and Nate Sudfeld are trusted by the Lions in the quarterback role. The Lions also hold the No.6 and 18 in the first-round of April’s draft, which is expected to be a big one.
"Lamar is a heck of a talent," coach Dan Campbell said. "But, man, we got a quarterback. And thank God we got one. So, we're good."
Indianapolis Colts
Gardner Minshew, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger are doing the job for the Colts at present. They also hold the No.4 pick in the first-round of the draft, but have confirmed their interest in acquiring Jackson.
"Anytime a special player is available, which he is, you've got to do the work. But you never know how any of this will work out,” Colts GM Chris Ballard confirmed. Owner Jim Irsay, however, said it’s important not to compromise the franchise’s future to pull off such a move.
New England Patriots
The post-Tom Brady era hasn’t gone as well as the Patriots would have hoped. Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe are their guys.
However, owner Robert Kraft has confirmed that Jackson has expressed his interest in joining the franchise through rapper Meek Mill. "You know, Meek Mill is my friend," Kraft said. "He texted me saying that Lamar Jackson wanted to come here. But that's [coach] Bill [Belichick]'s decision."
However, when coach Bill Belichick was asked earlier this week on Jackson, he refused to talk about a player of another team. The Patriots also hold the No14 pick in the first-round.
New York Jets
The Jets have the 13th pick in the first-round, their quarterbacks are Zach Wilson and Chris Streveler, and they’re also looking to add four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers to their ranks. A deal is yet to be agreed with the Green Bay Packers, however, with a draft deadline set.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas squashed the chances of a pivot to Jackson, saying: “It would be disingenuous and negotiating in bad faith if we went down that path."
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers do not have a first-round draft pick, but they do have three quarterbacks in Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. Kyle Michael Shanahan says he’s not looking to add another to his roster.
He said: “We got three quarterbacks that we're pretty good with right now. We're pretty set with how we've built our roster salary cap-wise."
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have two first-round draft picks at No.5 and 20. They also re-signed quarterback Geno Smith on March 6, a day before the Ravens tagged Jackson. Drew Lock is also the Seahawks’ second quarterback.
Finances were the driving factor for the Seahawks ruling themselves out of the running for Jackson. "I couldn't imagine him being available, and we couldn't afford him,” said Seattle coach Pete Carroll.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Like the Seahawks, the Buccaneers don’t have the financial resources to snap up Jackson. They also have two quarterbacks in newly-signed Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. A No19 pick in the first-round is also at the Buccaneers’ disposal.
"We know it's time for us to get under the cap, and he makes a lot of money," Coach Todd Bowles said. "But he is a heck of a player, and I hate playing against him."
Washington Commanders
The Commanders have a QB cohort of Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett, Jake Fromm. They also hold the No16 draft pick in the first-round.
General manager Martin Mayhew said: "I won't get into specifics about him. I don't want to sound critical of anyone. He's a very talented guy. He's one of the better quarterbacks in this league. But for us right now, we’re moving forward with Sam and Jacoby."
The Commanders are also in the thick of a highly competitive takeover bid. Josh Harris’ takeover bid for the Washington Commanders, which he has been joined by Mitchell Rales and NBA legend Magic Johnson, has reportedly submitted a bid matching franchise owner Dan Snyder’s asking price.
