The Minnesota Vikings could possibly be on the brink of solving their quarterback woes as a huge QB talent has hit the market.
Lamar Jackson, while not a free agent, can now negotiate with whoever he wants as the Baltimore Ravens have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him.
While the Ravens insist they still want Jackson, they’re allowing him to test the market as they’ve been haggling over a contract extension for around a year and are apparently no closer to hashing one out.
The Ravens have an advantage as they can decide to match any offer sheet signed by the player but, if they choose not to, they’re automatically guaranteed a pair of first-round draft picks.
The Vikings happen to be one of the teams which should be considering an offer right now but it appears there’s some real hesitancy around the league. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell explains, there’s a lot of upside to the Vikings trading for the former MVP given the circumstances surrounding their own QB.
“The Vikings have an uncertain future at quarterback. Kirk Cousins is 34 and hasn’t exhibited the sort of ceiling teams want from their veteran signal-callers. Minnesota has contorted its cap for years to pay Cousins, something general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had no choice but to continue after joining the team a year ago.
“If the Vikings can avoid one more restructure this offseason, though, Cousins will be a free agent after the 2023 campaign, leaving them with a completely blank slate under center. Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell could draft a quarterback in April, but Jackson would be a more exciting transition plan out of the Cousins era.”
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Barnwell also pointed out that the Vikings would fare a lot better than plenty of other NFL teams if they had to surrender two picks for Jackson as they’re picking at 23rd in the upcoming draft and would probably be around the same position in the next one.
