


Adam Schefter has floated an interesting theory about Lamar Jackson’s NFL free agency market after several teams eliminated themselves from contention Tuesday once the Baltimore Ravens placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on the star quarterback.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s installment of ESPN’s “Get Up,” the NFL insider speculated that interested teams “would just be drawing the offer sheet” for the Ravens, who have been at a contract impasse with the former league MVP for some time.
“I think part of it is the fact that teams know that they feel like that they would just be drawing the offer sheet for the Baltimore Ravens, so if any one of these teams steps forward and says, ‘Let’s give Lamar Jackson, you make it up, a four-year, $200 million contract fully guaranteed,’ well Baltimore could have the chance to write it,” Schefter said.
In terms of the non-exclusive tag Jackson received, the 26-year-old quarterback can negotiate and sign an offer sheet with another NFL team.
If that’s the case, the Ravens can match the offer sheet or, if they decline, receive two first-round picks in return.
Although Schefter noted Wednesday that “all it takes is just one [team],” several clubs — including the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, among others — have already taken their names out of the sweepstakes for Jackson’s services.
The curious moves made around the league raised eyebrows within the NFL community, with former players J.J. Watt and Robert Griffin III among those speaking out.
Trey Wingo also stated Tuesday how he spoke to sources at the NFLPA [National Football League Players Association] and how “they’re keeping a very close eye on the Lamar situation for that very reason.”
In regards to collusion, Wingo tweeted, “‘There’s constant concern about that.'”
Schefter further elaborated Wednesday on the developing situation.
“It does seem like, all the sudden, there are teams saying, ‘We’re not going to make a push.’ I know people say collusion, I just think this is just reporters asking high-placed executives on certain teams for their answers,” Schefter said.
“It defies logic that a quarterback as talented as Lamar Jackson wouldn’t generate more interest. I’ll leave that to everybody else to figure out their own theories, because it is a quarterback league and we’ve got an elite quarterback available on the market but it doesn’t seem, right now, like there are going to be many suitors for his services.”
With the non-exclusive tag, the 2023 salary is at $32.4 million.
Jackson is reportedly seeking a contract similar to the five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns last year.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday the organization “will continue to negotiate in good faith with Lamar.”