It turns out the first big “whoa” moment of the 2022 NFL Draft wasn’t much of a surprise at all. Just a well-kept secret about a disgruntled player.
What seemed like an out-of-the-blue trade of Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday was actually a result of the former Raven’s displeasure with the offensive scheme in Baltimore. What’s more: Brown is the one who actually requested the trade—multiple times!—and he made sure to keep quarterback Lamar Jackson in the loop the whole way.
It’s certainly a surprise twist after Jackson let his strong dislike for the trade be known on Twitter in real time. The truth might actually indicate more trouble for the Ravens than previously known.
Here’s what Brown told reporters on Friday after officially becoming a Cardinal:
Marquise Brown confirms he asked for the trade and talked about it multiple times with Lamar Jackson, dating back more than a year.
Said he’s proud of the way he and the Ravens handled it internally. Said offensive system (run-first) just isn’t for him.pic.twitter.com/m34mimtu9J
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) April 29, 2022
4eva Love For My Ppl In Baltimore But I Had To Do What’s Best For Me 💯
— Hollywood Brown (@Primetime_jet) April 29, 2022
“I let [Jackson] know, I can’t do it,” Brown said. “It’s not really on Lamar, like I love Lamar. It was just, the system wasn’t for me personally.”
While Brown commended the Ravens for “handling it the right way”, it’s probably not the best sign when a high-profile wideout has trouble with an offense being run by an MVP-caliber quarterback.
The fact that the trade was requested after Brown posted a career-best 1,008-yard receiving season with six touchdowns in 2021 seems less than encouraging. Baltimore is known for its continuity on the sidelines. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has been with the club since 2017 and OC since 2019. It seems clear Brown knew he wasn’t going to win a battle with Roman or head coach John Harbaugh over schemes. Especially not when those schemes led to Jackson winning MVP in 2019 and has kept Baltimore in contention for the Super Bowl.
That doesn’t mean Jackson has to like the deal.
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 29, 2022
The Ravens depth chart at wideout currently lists Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and James Proche II as its top options. That area now becomes a bit of a need for Baltimore as Day 2 of the draft rolls on.
There are plenty of options available, but none that may be able to replace the relationship Jackson had with Brown. How that impacts the offense overall remains to be seen. Baltimore (+2000 to win the Super Bowl at Tipico) is still a title contender with Jackson at the helm, but his job just got significantly more difficult.
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