Here’s what it would take for any team to trade Lamar Jackson to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens used their non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, but few, if any, NFL teams are willing to part with two first-round draft picks for him.
Baltimore has been somewhat sneaky about using the non-exclusive tag for this reason. It’s smart in the sense that other teams can create a market for it so the Ravens don’t have to. Negotiating with Jackson went beyond just pulling teeth, so it’s understandable what the Crows are doing here. On the contrary, there is a reason so many teams walked out of the Jackson Sweepstakes in the first place.
The two first-round picks may be going Baltimore’s way, but it’s actually the five-day period the Ravens have to match any pitching sheet. This is why teams secretly interested in Jackson would prefer to trade for Jackson outside of the restrictions imposed by the non-exclusive tag. ESPN’s Dan Graziano put it like that in his latest insider piece about the overall situation.
“Based on the conversations I’ve had, there are teams interested in pursuing potential [Lamar] Jackson trades if he decides he wants out of Baltimore, but I don’t know you’ll see anyone bid an official bid sheet that puts two first-round draft picks at risk if the Ravens don’t match up. I think teams would prefer to talk to the Ravens about a more traditional trade, although of course they’ll have to talk to Jackson at some point because he’ll have to sign a franchise tender before he can be traded.”
Privilege marks be damned. Let’s make a deal, shall we? Will this eventually work?
The Baltimore Ravens could trade Lamar Jackson off the non-exclusive tag
Baltimore is a well-run organization for a reason. Crows think things that dumb franchises don’t. However, they tend to be somewhat of a controlling freak, but to their own. It serves them to tag Jackson non-exclusively to help create a market, but when suitor after suitor decides they don’t want to play ball, the Ravens will have to get their hands dirty.
Certainly, there are a bunch of skilled teams out there in desperate need of a quarterback. And honestly, it’s not really about two first-round picks either, because you’ll quickly forget you even had one in the first place if Jackson joined your team and the balls were out. It’s 100 percent about not being able to be in free agency for five days, hoping the Ravens don’t match and screw you up.
Yes, Jackson will need to sign the bid to be traded first, but maybe there is a way to make a deal the good old fashioned way. To be completely transparent, this has something to do with Jackson’s desires to stay in Baltimore. If he’s down, Baltimore has all the leverage. If he wants to, Jackson has a bit more control over this than the Crows might hope to admit.
If Jackson is to be traded this spring, it probably won’t go as well as Baltimore wanted.
