The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson are reportedly far off in contract discussions, so could the team trade him for a king’s ransom? The Baltimore Ravens recently placed the exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, meaning no other teams can negotiate a contract with the 2019 NFL MVP.
One NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic that a trade involving the dynamic QB and Miami Dolphins’ starter Tua Tagovailoa might work: “Mike McDaniel probably would do great with Lamar. Maybe a Lamar-for-Tua trade makes sense.”
Jackson is set to become a free agent this offseason, but the Ravens can keep him under team control using the franchise tag. With a non-exclusive tag, another team can sign the quarterback to an offer sheet and give up two first-round picks to acquire Jackson.
The same executive ultimately believes “Baltimore tags him and holds onto” Jackson.
“Using the exclusive tag would cost more and prevent other teams from signing Jackson to an offer sheet while making it easier for the Ravens to maximize compensation in a trade. The non-exclusive tag would make sense if the Ravens hoped another team might sign Jackson to an offer sheet. In that case, the Ravens would receive two first-round draft choices in return for Jackson if they let him go.”
Even if Jackson is traded, it still may prove to be difficult for his new team to iron out a new contract as the QB has been seeking a fully guaranteed contract similar to Deshaun Watson. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that Jackson and the Ravens are $100 million apart in contract talks when it comes to guaranteed money, via Dov Kleiman.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Sending Jackson down to the Dolphins could work out for both teams. Tagovailoa was outstanding this season, throwing for a career-high 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns. The only issue with him going forward is the concussion issue that forced him to miss multiple regular season games and a playoff game.
Despite the Ravens wanting him back, it is doubtful Jackson will want to sign with Baltimore unless he gets paid a lot of money.
Everything remains to be seen.
