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The 2023 season has been a success so far for the Baltimore Ravens, but their sights are set on the Super Bowl. A major component has been quarterback Lamar Jackson, however, there were questions if he would even be on the team.
On Saturday, December 30, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed that there were two teams pursuing Jackson during the offseason. Schefter said, “The two teams known to have inquired about Jackson’s services were the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, according to league sources.”
“Neither team got overly aggressive with Jackson, and neither came close to signing him to an offer sheet,” Schefter reported.
Jackson was a free agent during the offseason and had been having contract negotiations with Baltimore during the season.
The Ravens left open the possibility of Jackson leaving as, “They [Baltimore] placed the non-exclusive $32 million franchise tag on him, inviting other teams to craft a creative enough offer sheet if they were inclined,” according to Schefter.
The Panthers changed gears making a trade with the Chicago Bears to obtain the No. 1 pick in the draft. They used the pick to select then-Alabama QB Bryce Young.
The Raiders brought in veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo and selected Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell.
It could have been a disaster for the Ravens and their fans, but they were able to get a deal done on April 27. “Jackson and the Ravens agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract extension,” Schefter wrote.
Lamar Jackson Highlighting Mistake of Team’s Lack of Pursuit
It is not often that an MVP in the prime of their career reaches free agency, and it was even stranger that their only seemed to be two teams that mildly pursued the All-Pro QB.
According to Schefter, “Jackson last offseason has bled into this season, with some sources around the league still wondering why there wasn’t more of an effort to sign the player now in position to win the MVP.”
VegasInsider has Jackson as an overwhelming -8000 favorite to win his second MVP at only age 26.
“There still is an ongoing collusion case being pursued by the NFL Players Association, which is trying to figure out why a player of Jackson’s caliber did not generate pursuit from multiple teams,” Schefter writes.
What made it stranger was teams announcing that they would not be pursuing Jackson. In a league where the QB play has been mediocre to bad, Jackson would have improved the position for a majority of the league.
Jackson had serious contract demands, which could have scared some teams off, but Jackson is a game-changer. His injury history may have scared off teams Schefter wrote, but he has yet to miss a game this season.
J.J. Watt Weighs in On Lack of Pursuit of Lamar Jackson
All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year, J.J Watt, is one of the players confused by the lack of pursuit.
Watt joined ESPN’s “The Pat Mcafee Show” on Wednesday, December 27, and brought up Jackson. Watt said, “Everybody in this offseason went out of their way to say ‘We don’t want him. Nope, we’re not interested.’ If your GM said that, fire him.”
Schefter listed some of the teams that went with alternatives, including a couple that said they would not pursue Jackson.
“The Atlanta Falcons signed Taylor Heinicke to join Desmond Ridder. The Washington Commanders signed Jacoby Brissett to join Sam Howell,” Schefter listed.
Part of the speculation was teams not making an offer fearing the Ravens would match it but nobody even tried.
Watt reiterated, “I’m not saying someone could have gotten a deal done. My problem with it is people coming out publicly with it saying we are not interested.”
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