Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh cracking a smile during an NFL game.
If the New York Jets are seeking a solution for the short and long term at the quarterback position in 2023 they may have found an answer.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report recently proposed a monster deal in an effort to “prevent a [Kansas City] Chiefs Super Bowl repeat in 2023″:
New York Jets receive: quarterback Lamar Jackson, a 2023 fourth-rounder (No. 124 overall)
Baltimore Ravens receive: quarterback Zach Wilson, a 2023 first-rounder (No. 13 overall), a 2023 second-rounder (No. 43 overall), a 2024 first-round draft choice, a 2024 third-rounder, and a 2025 second rounder
“That enormous price should not scare away the New York Jets,” Kenyon argued in a Bleacher Report column posted on Tuesday, February 28. “[The Jets] desperately need a franchise quarterback to bolster their offense and complement a high-quality defense.”
Jackson is scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency once the new league year kicks off on March 15. However, NFL Network reported that the Ravens plan on placing the franchise tag on the former Louisville product to prevent that from happening.
In this specific trade scenario, the talented passer would be tagged and traded to the Jets. As part of the deal, Gang Green would then immediately sign Jackson to a long-term contract.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus projected that Jackson will sign a five-year $260 million contract this offseason that features over $208 million in total guarantees.
That new $52 million annual average would make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
Lamar Jackson Trade? ‘Anything Is Possible’
ESPN released a joint insider report from Jeremy Fowler and Jamison Hensley on February 23 diving into the real issues between Jackson and the Ravens.
“A couple of months ago, I would have said no way [that a trade will happen],” a team source said in the days after the playoff loss to ESPN. “Now it feels like anything is possible.”
With Jackson potentially available and the Jets seemingly desperate this offseason to land a true star at the position. This could potentially be a match made in heaven.
To land Jackson it would take a record haul and this proposal reiterates that truth.
However, you get what you pay for.
Jackson is only 26 years of age and has already won a league MVP award in his young career. He would provide the Jets with one of the best quarterbacks in football and someone that could be here for the foreseeable future.
Jets Would Become Immediate Title Contenders
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network joined the Jets digital content team, at the NFL Combine and confidently said that the team is a “quarterback away.”
If he is correct, then that means Jackson would make Gang Green an instant Super Bowl championship contender.
Obviously, with that new QB contract structure, the Jets will have to get creative to fill the other holes on its roster, but that is a first-world problem that they would embrace.
The only real concern with Jackson is his durability. Jackson has been unable to play a full season in the NFL outside of his rookie year. Even in that campaign Jackson wasn’t the full-time starter and was used primarily in special offensive packages.
However, with great risk comes great reward. What makes Jackson so unique is his rare athletic gifts as a dual-threat quarterback that can attack defenses with his arm or his legs.