NFL coaches usually try to stay away from admitting if they inquired on a certain player, especially if that player remains available.
But Atlanta Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith was not shy in admitting that his team looked at acquiring a big-named quarterback during his appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” (h/t Grey Pake of Larry Brown Sports)
“Everything that becomes available around the league, if it can improve your roster, we discuss. That’s at every position, whether that’s the fifth corner or the backup gunner on a punt, we’re always going to look to add at every position. Those discussions happen all day, every day. I understand some players get more attention than others, but absolutely we did.”
On Monday, Jackson announced in a Twitter thread that he requested a trade from the Ravens back on Mar. 2. The Ravens placed the franchise tag on him several days after the trade request, preventing the 2019 league MVP from entering free agency.
Atlanta is one of several teams that has been linked to Jackson, along with the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. Atlanta and Indy both have top-10 draft picks (eighth overall and fourth overall, respectively), so they do have the assets to complete a trade for Jackson.
The Falcons signed former Washington Commanders’ starter Taylor Heinicke to a two-year deal in free agency. At this time, it looks as though the Falcons are ecstatic to go with sophomore Desmond Ridder and Heinicke as their QB tandem.
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If a team signs Jackson to an offer sheet, the Ravens would have five days to match it. Otherwise, Baltimore would receive two first-round picks as compensation for the 26-year-old quarterback.
Jackson has an impressive 45-16-0 regular season as a quarterback. A two-time 1,000-yard rusher, Jackson has completed 63.7 percent of his career pass attempts for 12,209 yards and 101 touchdowns against 38 interceptions.
Baltimore has made the postseason in four of five Jackson’s NFL seasons, including AFC North division titles in 2018 and 2019.
