NFL Rumors: New Ravens OC Todd Monken trying to entice Lamar Jackson to stay?
Will Lamar Jackson leave or will he stay? It seems that we are destined to see the Baltimore Ravens put the franchise tag on Jackson this offseason as they’ve been unsuccessful in negotiating a contract with the former MVP quarterback. But whether or not he’d play on that tag and continue to try and work with the Ravens or demand a trade remains to be seen.
One person who doesn’t want to see him leave, as you’d expect, is new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Not only did Monken heap praise on Jackson when speaking to the media recently but it seems like he’s already trying to entice the quarterback to stay with hints at what the Ravens could do this offseason. Namely, he was effusively praising free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who could be a chip that would make sticking around a much more attractive option for Jackson.
Monken on Odell Beckham Jr.: "I really like Odell...He's like every skill player. He's no different. I don't know why everyone gets pissed off. It's like, he wants the ball. Well, really? I don't know where I've been a great player didn't want the ball...tremendous talent."
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) February 21, 2023
This isn’t an outright signal that Baltimore is going to heavily go after OBJ in free agency, but the new offensive coordinator definitely seems like that’s what he wants. And if that’s the case, then you have to think that would make Jackson at least mildly reconsider the option of staying in Baltimore.