Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the biggest names to follow in the 2023 NFL offseason trade rumor mill.
Jackson’s rookie contract is now over, and the Ravens have three options: Extend him, trade him or place the franchise tag on him and go from there. If it’s option B, the Ravens will have no problem garnering interest for him on the trade market.
Where could Jackson land? Well, there’s reportedly one team to follow extensively in the potential Lamar sweepstakes. NFL insider Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post spoke to several NFL executives who think that the Atlanta Falcons will be “the most aggressive potential suitor” for the 2019 league MVP:
“Multiple executives continue to point to the Falcons as the most aggressive potential suitor (“I think it’s Atlanta,” said one GM, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he isn’t permitted to speak freely about other teams’ rosters), while the odds of the Ravens and Jackson working out a long-term deal by March 7 seem between slim and none.”
The Falcons tried acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans last offseason, but the Cleveland Browns wound up completing the trade for him. The Falcons then traded longtime starter Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick.
Atlanta won seven games last season with the inconsistent duo of Marcus Mariota and rookie Desmond Ridder, finishing just one game out of first in the NFC South. A trade for a world-class quarterback like Jackson would certainly make them the team to beat in a wide-wide open division.
Needless to say, the next few weeks on the NFL trade front are about to get real interesting.
