Top 5 Landing Spots for Former MVP Lamar Jackson
By Peter Jurich
The Baltimore Ravens have officially placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson, meaning that any team will have the chance to offer the former league MVP a new contract. If Jackson were to accept a contract offer from a new team, the Ravens would have the opportunity to either match the new contract offer, or trade Jackson to the team of his choice for two first-round picks — and potentially even more.
For a player as dynamic as Jackson, there will certainly be a number of suitors lining up for the 26-year-old quarterback. However, some teams will be limited from a pure logistical standpoint.
For example, the Miami Dolphins could hypothetically add Jackson to work with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but considering the team has little available cap space and no first-round pick this year, that hypothetical seems very unlikely.
Any team who would trade for Jackson would likely need to have a few things, including ample draft capital, enough cap space to sign the quarterback to a long-term deal, and the trust in their roster that they are only a quarterback away from competing for their division, their conference, and eventually, for the Super Bowl.
With that being said, here are the top five most likely landing spots for Lamar Jackson.
Ranking the Top Landing Spots for Lamar Jackson
Honorable Mention: Baltimore Ravens
Obviously this is the most boring hypothetical from a continuity standpoint, but the reality of the situation is that there is a good chance that Jackson plays out this tag in Baltimore, and either resigns to a longer deal in Baltimore in the next calendar year, or this entire situation is revisited next season a lá Aaron Rodgers.
For Baltimore, it makes a lot of sense to stick with the quarterback they traded back into the first round to select in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite a lack of postseason success, Jackson has had an extremely successful career in Baltimore, even if he has faced injury problems in the past few seasons.
No team in the NFL should be in the business of getting rid of elite talent, with Baltimore being no exception, so unless the quarterback outright refuses to play another game for the Ravens, there is certainly a reality where Jackson remains in Baltimore for 2023.