NFL free agency: Predicting the best free agent all 32 teams will sign in 2023
By Ryan Heckman
Predicting the best free agent the Baltimore Ravens will sign: Lamar Jackson, QB
This offseason is going to be a crucial one for the Baltimore Ravens, as they have some big names hitting the free agent market. The top two? Linebacker Roquan Smith, whom the team traded for mid-season, and recently extended. Then, there’s quarterback Lamar Jackson, whom the team opted not to extend prior to the 2022 campaign.
This past season was a tough one for Jackson, who was yet again injured down the stretch. However, the Ravens cannot allow him to walk out of Baltimore this spring.
All of the smoke lately … don’t buy into it. We’ve seen this story before with guys like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, among others.
He is going to be a Raven, and Baltimore will pay up to keep him.
Imagining the Ravens without Jackson would mean that this team either has a legitimate backup plan to go after a top free agent like Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr, or they’re fine entering a rebuild. Those are the only scenarios in which losing Jackson would be on the table, and one of those are good.
Jackson belongs in Baltimore, and he’s going to earn a fat check despite missing time yet again this year due to injury. The Ravens are going to be competitive, they’re going to run the football better than just about anybody, and Jackson will be at the forefront of this team for years to come. Jackson stays in Baltimore.