With the Baltimore Ravens out of the playoffs, speculation is going to become immense in terms of the future of star quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson is set to be a free agent after the two sides did not come to terms on a new contract and Jackson reportedly did not travel with the team to Cincinnati for their Wild Card Playoff against the Bengals. That only helped fuel the speculation about his future in Baltimore and whether he truly could be donning a new uniform in 2023.
And it just so happens that the New York Jets could be in the market for a veteran quarterback this offseason. Could the former unanimous MVP actually land in Florham Park? One analyst at NFL Network certainly thinks the Jets should at least make an attempt to lure him.
On Tuesday’s Good Morning Football on NFL Network, Jason McCourty is all for the Jets going after Jackson, saying they should “go all in and bring Lamar to the Big Apple.”
“Go all in and bring Lamar to the big apple” – @JasonMcCourty 👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ttXpfZvo5I
— Will Parkinson (@Willpa11) January 17, 2023
The Ravens can always place the franchise tag on Jackson but then there is also the possibility of a sign-and-trade. The tag for quarterbacks is projected to be about $32.5 million, per Over the Cap. The Jets can restructure contracts and save money to create cap space for Jackson or any other veteran quarterback they could end up pursuing. They have a huge amount of cap space at the moment in 2024 to help create space in 2023.
#Jets current projected cap space, per Over the Cap.
2023: -$2.4M (yes, negative)
2024: $112.3MMight see some restructuring/creative contract structures from Joe Douglas this offseason. Will also be some cap casualties.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) January 17, 2023
Jackson would be at the top of the list for the ideal Jets’ offseason as a team ready to win now and for an owner that has said he is open to spending on a veteran.