Top Landing Spots for Lamar Jackson

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore, Maryland (PSF) - When the Baltimore Ravens selected quarterback Lamar Jackson out of the University of Louisville with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, nobody thought that the Ravens brass in General Manager Eric DeCosta and Head Coach John Harbaugh would be in the situation that they are currently in today.

A stalemate with their quarterback and face of the franchise over a contract extension after he requested a trade from the organization this week and unanimously took home the M.V.P Award in 2019 after taking the league by storm, only four years ago.

While this is a position that the Ravens organization and fans of the franchise certainly do not want to be in, here are the top landing spots for Jackson if the two sides do not come to a contract agreement and were to trade him.

Atlanta Falcons

Sports Illustrated

Atlanta makes the most sense and should be the leader in the clubhouse if Baltimore ultimately decides to trade Jackson. The Falcons currently hold the number eight overall pick in April’s draft, which puts them out of the range to draft the top two consensus quarterback prospects in Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. Additionally, Atlanta very well could also end up out of the Anthony Richardson and Will Levis sweepstakes if both were even to fall to eight. Not only does Atlanta have enough cap space to give Jackson a big pay day in a fully guaranteed contract that he is looking for, much like Deshaun Watson’s deal with the Cleveland Browns, but he would transform the offense in a way not seen since Michael Vick as third year Head Coach Arthur Smith who is on the hot seat would inherit a franchise quarterback and arguably the best one in the NFC if Jackson were to get traded to Atlanta. Not to mention, Atlanta already has two legit weapons on the outside on rookie contracts for Jackson to throw to in wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts who Atlanta does not have to worry about for a few more seasons. The Ravens would trade Jackson out of the conference, Atlanta gets their franchise quarterback, everybody wins. Falcons Owner Arthur Blank would also see the stadium reach capacity, jersey sales go through the roof, and a buzz and excitement throughout the city the folks of Atlanta have not felt in quite some time.

Indianapolis Colts

NFL.com

The Colts are less likely to land Jackson than Atlanta as they are in the same conference as Baltimore, but that does still not take away from the fact that Indianapolis is still a top destination for the former most valuable player. The Colts currently hold the fourth overall pick in the draft, slightly higher than Atlanta which means if they do decide to go quarterback, they will end up with either Florida’s Anthony Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis. However, if they were to go a different direction and select a player that has a higher grade on their board than the two project quarterback prospects, acquiring Jackson in a trade with Baltimore would kill two birds with one stone. Colts’ owner Jim Irsay and General Manager Chris Ballard are desperate for their next franchise quarterback since Andrew Luck, as the carousel of starting veteran quarterback after veteran quarterback has defined the word insanity to its full extent. Trading for Jackson would solve this issue for Irsay and Ballard as they would also not have to deal with the risk and commitment that comes with drafting a project quarterback early in the first round. Couple that with first year Head Coach Shane Steichen who has worked with Phillip Rivers, Justin Herbert, and most recently Jalen Hurts in the past and all of a sudden Indianapolis’s rebuild would be kickstarted as Steichen would no doubt be able to get the most out of Jackson and bring his game to new heights.

Minnesota Vikings

The Athletic

Minnesota feels like a pipe dream scenario out of the three teams, but their odds to acquire Jackson have actually shifted from 20-1 to 9-1 in the past few days. While Minnesota did win the NFC North this past season with Kirk Cousins at the helm, their season ended in disappointing fashion in a home wild card round defeat to the New York Giants. If Minnesota were to acquire Jackson, they undoubtedly would be the favorite to win the NFC North for the second consecutive season in a row and possibly even the NFC conference as they, much like Atlanta, would have the best quarterback in the conference and that is pretty much all you need compared to the gauntlet of the AFC. Yes, Head Coach Kevin O’Connell does have familiarity with Cousins from their days in Washington together and this past season in Minnesota, but Cousins is also a free agent after this season and second year General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not sign him from the start. Jackson would be a massive upgrade over Cousins for Minnesota as O’Connell who is already one of the best play callers in the league after only one season of head coaching experience would have the most dynamic quarterback in the league. For Jackson, he would be getting a better coach, easier division to play in and win, and the best wide receiver and weapon of his career thus far in Justin Jefferson. Minnesota is a team that is ready to win and compete for a Super Bowl right now, and with the defensive coaching and players brought in this offseason, adding Jackson would only boost their chances of lifting their first ever Lombardi Trophy.

Where Jackson ends up is a question that none of us know the answer to right now. In fact, he very well may just end up back in Baltimore after it is all said and done. However, if he were not to return to the Ravens organization, these three teams would happily pick up the phone and strike a deal with Baltimore for Jackson, no matter the asking price.