Could the Patriots pull of a trade for Lamar Jackson?
The future of Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson seems murky, at best. Could the Patriots pull off a trade for him this offseason? Jackson has played in just 12 games this season as he continues to try and come back from an injured knee he suffered several weeks ago.
This makes it the second year in row he’s played just 12 games in the regular season, and the only year he’s appeared in every game was his rookie season when he was primarily the backup to Joe Flacco.
The Ravens and Jackson seemingly tried and failed to get a contract extension done before the season. It appears as if Jackson wants heavy guarantees, and the Ravens don’t seem willing to agree to those guarantees.
Now, Jackson may finish the year on the sideline while the Ravens yet again fail to make noise in the playoffs. Right now, he’s a free agent at the end of the year as he’s playing on his fifth year option, but the Ravens can simply use the franchise tag to prevent him from hitting the market.
The franchise tag would allow the two sides to agree to a new deal, or it can set the state for a potential trade. Well, if the Ravens don’t want to pay him what he wants, what’s the point in holding onto the player, and what would be the point in Lamar not requesting a trade himself?
I do think there is a chance that we could see him dealt this offseason, and if that is indeed the case, many teams would and should be interested in acquiring his services, including the New England Patriots.
The Ravens would likely be asking for a historically large haul in return for the future sixth year player. Baltimore would likely ask for a quarterback in the deal along with several draft picks in return.
Well, the Patriots do appear to have enough ammunition to pull off this potential trade. Mac Jones and the team’s 2023 first round pick would surely go back in the deal for Lamar Jackson, as would other picks and perhaps other players.
Jackson is 45-16 in his career as a starter. He’s thrown for 101 touchdowns, 38 interceptions, rushed for 4,437 yards and 24 touchdowns as well. It’s no secret how dynamic he is as a player, and given that the Patriots have about $50 million in cap space this year and a defense that is mostly set, it would make a ton of sense for New England to try and pull this trade off.