Baltimore Ravens’ star quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to dominate the trade rumor mill, but it’s still anybody’s guess how things will play out in the coming weeks (or months).
Last month, Jackson announced in a Twitter thread that he requested a trade from the Ravens back on Mar. 2. A few days after his trade request, however, the 2019 league MVP was assigned the franchise tag.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell analyzed 16 teams as potential trade destinations for the 26-year-old Jackson. One of those teams was the 2022 NFC runner-up San Francisco 49ers, who carry 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance and 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy atop their depth chart.
Barnwell projected the price the 49ers would have to pay to land Jackson, with Lance being the centerpiece of the return for Baltimore:
“Lance would have to head back to the Ravens, but would Baltimore feel the same way about him as Shanahan & Co. did two years ago? These two teams would have to get creative. What about Lance, Aiyuk and a 2024 first-round pick to the Ravens for Jackson and a 2024 fourth-round selection? I believe the 49ers are more likely to stay put at quarterback outside of adding a veteran backup such as Matt Ryan.”
Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 which required surgery. Purdy suffered a UCL injury in the NFC Championship Game and required surgery, but the 49ers hope he’ll be cleared in time for the start of the season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has proven he can make it work with just about anybody at quarterback, so it would be surprising to see the 49ers sacrifice valuable assets to trade for another quarterback. Not to mention that Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick of the 2018 NFL draft, was signed as a brief insurance option.
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The Ravens signed veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency last week, but it remains to be seen if that addition will end up playing a role in convincing Jackson to stay.
