Getty Lamar Jackson on the field in New Orleans for a 2022 game.
The Detroit Lions are likely to have a big offseason of decisions ahead at quarterback, and deciding what to do with Jared Goff is amongst their first orders of business.
If the decision is to move on from Goff, figuring out what quarterback to target is going to be the top focus for the team. While most think the Lions would choose to draft a player, the free agency market does offer some potential options as well.
Perhaps one of the most interesting would be Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson. Despite a prevailing notion for a few seasons that a deal would get done on an extension, the sides have yet to agree. That could set Jackson up to eventually depart the team if the sides are far apart on numbers.
In such an event, there could be no shortage of quarterback-hungry suitors. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe took a closer look at breaking down what could be a crazy quarterback market. Jackson was one of the cases he analyzed, and the Lions came up.
“If a quarterback-desperate team steps up with a fully guaranteed $250 million contract, or at least 80 percent of that guaranteed, Jackson needs to entertain that offer. Perhaps those teams could include the Jets, Colts, Steelers, Texans, Giants, Commanders, Falcons, Lions, Panthers or Saints. Don’t worry about the cap. If a team needs a franchise quarterback, they’ll find a way to make the money work,” Howe wrote.
At 25 years old, Jackson is in the prime of his career. It wouldn’t be a shock to see half the league eyeballing him to take over as their starter, Detroit included. It’s been clear that Jackson, a former league MVP in 2019, is one of a handful of game-changers at the position.
Jackson’s scrambling style would add a new dynamic to a rapidly changing Detroit offense. There’s more than a few catches, though, which could make ever seeing him suit up in the Honolulu Blue quite the stretch.
Analyst: Dream Trade for Lions Involves Jackson
Many in the Motor City already want to see Jackson as a focal point of the team’s offseason, and are even willing to give up plenty in a trade to ensure the veteran would be the team’s quarterback.
Ryan Ermanni of Fox 2 and Woodward Sports already pitched his idea to try and lure Jackson to Detroit. As he said, he would be willing to give up a pair of first round selections the next two seasons to Baltimore for Jackson.
“My bold off-season dream trade proposal: Lions Get: Lamar Jackson. Ravens Get: 2023 & 2024 1st Round picks Would this get done?,” Ermanni tweeted.
Detroit coughing up a pair of first-round picks for Jackson might be very risky, especially seeing as the team isn’t completely there as a major contender yet. This kind of move might be better served to be made a few years down the road.
The Lions could still use their top picks to build on defense, which has major holes that have been on display most of the 2022 season. With this in mind, it might be hard to see the team making a big trade for Jackson.
Jackson to Lions Could Be Complicated
As is pointed out by Howe in the piece, the Lions as well as multiple other teams may find a Jackson deal tough. Why? The Ravens could be in an easy position to simply slap a franchise tag on Jackson, ending most of these thoughts.
If the Ravens use the franchise tag in the neighborhood of $45 or $46 million on him, negotiations elsewhere would stop. Howe wrote that Baltimore could also offer a nonexclusive tag which would allow other teams to negotiate with him while offering the Ravens the chance to match offers and recoup a pair of first-round picks if Jackson did depart.
It seems that any contract the Lions did offer to Jackson if he made it to free agency would likely have to be in the range of $250 million guaranteed as Jackson, making him a top paid signal caller. While the Lions might be able to make room for such a deal, it’s still a massive chunk of change that would lock the Lions in with Jackson.
Add it up, and the Lions might be better served to stick with Goff and draft a quarterback to develop, or keep Goff, give him weapons and try to build up the team’s needy defense.
The cost of adding Jackson to the Lions might be too prohibitive in the end, both in terms of money and potential draft capitol. Nevertheless, if the quarterback decides on a Baltimore split this offseason, the Lions could be a team to remember.