Getty An NFL exec claimed that teams were interested in Lamar Jackson during the offseason, just not his contract
During the 2023 offseason, teams around the NFL had a surprising opportunity. They had the chance acquire Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
No team ended up trying.
Even more surprisingly, there were a number of teams that were said to have no interest.
Those teams have recently been put on blast as Jackson prepares to win the second MVP of his career.
Now, an NFL executive is claiming that there wasn’t really a lack of interest in Jackson.
The executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando that teams were interested in the player, but not in the contract he wanted.
“Everybody was interested in the player,” the executive said. “They were not interested in the package. Because he was so vociferous about getting that guaranteed deal, those franchises made it clear, there is nothing to talk about. It wasn’t until Baltimore convinced him to take the non-guaranteed contract that the Ravens got a deal done.”
While the contract was a deterrent for other teams, Jackson has certainly been worth the money this season for the Ravens.
Jackson Has Been Worth Every Penny for the Ravens
In the end, the Ravens wound up giving Jackson a deal worth $260 million over five years.
Even with the highest yearly value in the NFL, that contract has looked like a steal this season.
Jackson has put together one of the best seasons of his career as a passer. He set career highs in completion percentage and passing yards.He was also as dangerous as ever on the ground with 821 rushing yards.
His play turned the Ravens into a top-5 offense in 2023 and led them to the NFL’s best regular season record.
Now he’s expected to win the MVP for the season and the team is one win away from his first career Super Bowl appearance.
Things have turned out perfectly for Jackson and the Ravens, but that might not have been the case if he had ended up with any other team during the offseason.
There Weren’t Many Teams That Made Sense
It’s easy to look back at the 2023 offseason now and say that every team should have been trying to get Jackson.
However, the reality of the situation is very different.
If yoy remove teams that were already committed to a QB, teams that had just drafted a QB, and teams that were planning to draft one in 2023, you’re left with very few teams that were realistic options for Jackson.
The list is pretty much the Titans, Raiders, Commanders, Patriots, and Falcons. The Jets didn’t have their QB yet at the time, but knew that Aaron Rodgers was the one they wanted.
Of the five realistic teams, how many would have been able to pay Jackson, give up two first rounders, and still put together a contender?
The Falcons are probably the only one.
They already had young talent for Jackson to throw to in Kyle Pitts and Drake London. They had a running back that was coming off of a 1000-yard season. Atlanta’s defense was improving.
The Falcons also play in football’s worst division, so adding Jackson would have made them the favorites to win the division.
With a few more of the right pieces, the Falcons could have become a very interesting team with Jackson.
The rest of the teams all still would have had major issues to figure out to succeed with Jackson.
The Pats still might’ve only been the third-best team in their division with Jackson and he wouldn’t have been an MVP candidate throwing to their receivers.
The Titans wouldn’t have given him much better options and had a terrible offensive line.
Las Vegas turned into a pretty decent team down the stretch, but that was after they fired Josh McDaniel, which probably wouldn’t have happened with Jackson. Until that changed, the team would have never been a real contender.
The Commanders might not have been a contender with Jackson, but they’d have been fun to watch. They have weapons to throw to and Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator.
They’d have put up some points, but the defense would have been too much to overcome and it would have been hard to fix that without a first rounder for two years.
For any of these teams, there was also one other really big deterrent. Whatever they offered, the Ravens could match, so we may never know what it actually would have taken to get Jackson.
It definitely shouldn’t have been so easy for teams to decide they were out on an MVP-level QB, but there were just a very limited number of teams that could have made a move for Jackson and won enough to make his contract worth it.
He was already playing for the team that was the best fit for him.