A surprise team has entered the Lamar Jackson rumor mill, according to an NFL insider
Any football fan has unquestionably heard and has likely been following the saga that is Lamar Jackson and his standoff with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens gave Jackson the non-exclusive franchise tag this offseason, meaning he can negotiate with other teams and sign an offer sheet if he finds a deal he likes. In turn, the Ravens would receive a pair of first-round picks from said team if they opted not to match.
Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler appeared on Sportscenter and mentioned a couple of teams currently rumored to be in the mix for Jackson’s services, and one of those could send shockwaves through the NFC if they pulled off such a move.
“And then when you talk about good fits, I asked some executives around the league what teams would make sense. They mention Tennessee, who just cleared some cap space … And even a wild card like Minnesota. Kirk Cousins has one year left on his contract if they want to reestablish their identity there,” Fowler said.
A trade for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson would have multiple layers for Minnesota
Obviously, the Vikings couldn’t just offer Jackson a contract, outright. They have Kirk Cousins under contract for this year, still, and Cousins counts $20 million against their cap. Pursuing Jackson would mean that, undoubtedly, Cousins is included in any transaction.
What a deal for Jackson also means is that Minnesota will offer him a brand-new contract, which is something the Ravens have tried to do and failed to meet Jackson’s expectations.
It might sound crazy at first, but as recent as just a few days ago, odds started to soar in favor of Minnesota landing Jackson.
So, how does a deal for Lamar happen in Minnesota? Let’s look at the trade first, followed by what a new contract could spell for the current Ravens quarterback.
What would a Lamar Jackson, Minnesota Vikings trade look like?
If Jackson was given an offer sheet from another team, and Baltimore declined to match, then that team would give up a pair of first-round picks to the Ravens in return. With that said, a trade for Jackson likely wouldn’t look much different than that.
The aspect of this trade that might be overlooked is the fact that the Ravens only have Cousins for the 2023 season and have no obligation to re-sign him beyond this year. So, to recap, the Ravens get a starting quarterback at least for this season, plus two first-round picks to work with in the future. One of those picks, of course, comes in a few weeks. Not to mention, Baltimore currently holds the 22nd pick. This means they’ll have back-to-back picks in the first round; a huge advantage.
Fortunately, this puts the Ravens in a great position if they still wish to try and compete this year. Cousins is a very good quarterback and has thrown for over 4,000 yards in seven of his 11 NFL seasons.
Next year, Baltimore would have a pair of firsts to work with if they wanted to try and move up as high as they could to draft a franchise quarterback in the 2024 class.
What might the new contract look like between the Minnesota Vikings and Lamar Jackson?
Looking at the contract Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns last offseason, it’s not far off from what Jackson would want from the Vikings. But, Watson also received that deal in the midst of quite the legal situation, which works in Jackson’s favor.
Jackson has zero legal trouble. The only issue at hand so happens to be injury concerns. But, that’s the risk the Vikings must take if they’re going to pursue Jackson. They have to understand they’re taking Jackson, with both the good and the bad.
So, with Watson’s contract in mind, as well as considering the fact that Watson was 26 when he signed the deal, let’s look at what the 26-year-old Jackson could get from the Vikings.
Spoiler alert: It’s very similar
The Contract: 5-years, $260 million, $230 million fully guaranteed
Watson’s contract was for five years and gave him $230 million, with all of it fully guaranteed.
This deal (to be fair to Lamar who has not gotten himself into any trouble and appears to be in a much better position career-wise than Watson) gives the former MVP a bit more money overall. However, Jackson gets the same guarantees that Watson received.
Is this an overpay, considering Minnesota already gave up two first-round picks to acquire Jackson? It might be. But, Minnesota’s offense immediately becomes a different beast with the threat of Lamar’s legs.
Think about it: Jackson has never had a receiver like Justin Jefferson, who is arguably the best in the game right now. That’s a terrifying thought for any NFC North team, and potentially the rest of the NFC.