Getty Anthony Richardson throws a pass at the 2023 NFL combine.
As if the week of the annual league meeting couldn’t get any spicier when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens and their MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson after he let the world know that he requested a trade on March 2, 2023.
According to Jordan Schultz of The Score, the team will be hosting former Flordia quarterback and projected first-round pick, Anthony Richardson for one of their official pre-draft visits following his Pro day on March 30, 2023.
The Ravens aren’t the only team that Schultz reported that Richardson is slated to visit with but of the ones he listed, they are the most intriguing given that they are not slated to pick until No. 22 overall in the first round.
After the 20-year-old absolutely blew up the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, his draft stock shot up like a rocket thanks in larger part to his historic athletic testing numbers and impressive displays of arm strength during his throwing session.
Anthony Richardson letting it FLY. @GatorsFB
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+
He’ll have a chance to further boost his stock in front of scouts, coaches, and executives during a scripted throwing session at his Pro Day down in Gainsville, Florida.
The fact that a team that isn’t picking until the early 20s who already has a generational talent under center that they placed the nonexclusive franchise tag tender on is not only interested in but is using one of their top 30 visits on Richardson is definitely something to monitor as the draft nears.
Another Possible Contingency Plan or Just Due Diligence?
While the Ravens have repeatedly expressed their desire to sign Jackson to a long-term detail and not trade or have him signed away, they must be prepared for life without him at all times and every year. Whether he gets moved, holds out, or sustains an injury for any specified amount of time, having multiple contingency plans in place makes perfect sense.
During his Monday media session at the annual league meetings, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed those exact sentiments, thoughts, and desires.
Coach Harbaugh from owners meetings:
“You got to plan of all the contingencies for sure but I’m pretty fired up about Lamar Jackson,” he said on March 27, 2023.
Hosting Richardson doesn’t necessarily mean that they are ready to move on from Jackson and start over at the quarterback position. But the team could be preparing themselves in case they do need to pivot because a team picking in the top half of the draft offers the two-time Pro Bowler a contract they’re unable or unwilling to match.
The year that Jackson came out, they hosted him for an official pre-draft visit as well despite having a former Super Bowl MVP still under contract in franchise legend Joe Flacco so this could just be another example of them doing their due diligence on a gifted prospect.
Teams will often host players they’re supposed to have no shot at getting according to early projections or don’t necessarily have a need for at the moment. A few reasons are that there’s always a possibility that they might fall, become available at a later date, or get drafted by a team that’s either in their division or is a conference rival.
It remains to be seen which category Richardson will fall into but with the draft less than a month away, they won’t have to wait long to find out.
Ravens Could be Preparing for Potential Fall For Richardson
Heading into the 2018 NFL Draft, the quarterback position was an underrated need for the team even though they still had Flacco under contract for a few more years and other pressing needs that had to address.
However, when Jackson was on his way to falling out to the second round, his value and talent were too great to pass up. That is when former Ravens’ general manager Ozzie Newsome decided to trade back into the first round and stop the former Heisman trophy winner’s freefall at No. 32 overall.
After watching four other quarterbacks and 31 other prospects in total come off the board before him, Jackson has since proven to be arguably not just the best player at his position of the bunch but perhaps the biggest steal 0f that particular draft.
Given where he was taken in relation to how he has developed into one of the most dynamic and electrifying players in league history who became just the second ever to be voted MVP unanimously in just his second, the Ravens struck gold. They took a player that many experts and analysts that many questioned whether he’d be able to succeed or last at the highest level.
After blowing up the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Richardson was being talked about as a favorite to possibly go No. 1 overall but has since seen some of his luster wear off and his hype train lose some steam. Nevertheless, he is still a generational athlete with the talent and tools to develop into a game-breaking playmaker with the right coaching and system.
If the Ravens ultimately decide to trade Jackson ahead of the draft and receive a top 10 pick in return or if they don’t and Richardson still falls out of the top 10 and into the late teens, they could decide to pull the trigger on taking the former Gator. Either way, they would’ve prepared themselves for any possibility or eventuality.