NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
The Baltimore Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson Tuesday. This means Lamar will be able to negotiate a contract with other teams. The Ravens will be able to match any offer.
The Commanders are reportedly one of several teams that will not pursue Lamar. I admittedly find it strange how many teams were so quick to say they are out on a 26-year-old MVP QB. I believe there will still be a competitive market for Jackson and Washington could be in the mix.
Here is why the Commanders will and won’t pursue Lamar Jackson.
Why They Will Pursue Lamar
Since Cousins departed for Minnesota, Washington has gone through 12 different starting QBs. Going into 2023, Howell looks to be the starter. While I like Howell, I also realize going into a season with a 2nd year 5th round QB as the starter is far from ideal.
Lamar Jackson won MVP in 2019 with 4,841 total yards and 44 total TDs. The closest a Washington QB has come to 44 total TDs is Heinicke in 2021 with 21. They have won 7-8 games each of the past three seasons. This is with arguably the worst QB play in the league. Adding a top-five QB would immediately make this team a legitimate contender.
Signing Lamar will mean Washington gives up two first-round picks. When looking at the Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson trades, this is an absolute steal.
Russell Wilson trade:
- Two 1st round picks
- Two 2nd round picks
- Three players
Deshaun Watson trade:
- Three 1st round picks
- One 3rd round pick
- Two 4th round picks
It’s not often a franchise QB becomes available for just two first-rounders. Washington offered Seattle more than what Denver gave them. If they were willing to give up all of that for a 33-year-old QB, I imagine they would easily give up two firsts for a 26-year-old.
Why They Won’t Pursue Lamar
According to Adam Schefter, teams aren’t interested in Lamar because they feel no matter what they offer, Baltimore will match. They don’t want to put in the time and effort to come up with a contract just for the Ravens to match it.
Last offseason, Washington traded a 2022 3rd rounder and a 2023 3rd rounder (with the potential to be a 2nd) for Colts QB Carson Wentz. They were also fully responsible for Wentz’s $28 million salary. The move left Washington with minimal cap space and no 3rd round pick in last year’s draft. After seeing how that went, Rivera might not want to give up more assets to trade for another QB.
Lamar’s contract will likely be around $45-$50 million per year. It will be tough to resign players like Payne, Curl, and Sweat when a large percentage of their cap space is going to one player. Rivera has mentioned the importance of having a complete roster multiple times during his tenure in Washington.
Conclusion
It is not often teams have a chance to acquire an MVP-caliber QB. For an organization that has failed miserably to find a franchise QB for so long, you would expect them to at least show interest in Lamar.
Between other teams being able to offer and the Ravens having the ability to match any offer, the odds of Lamar coming to Washington are razor-thin. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t at least try. If Rivera and the front office are serious about winning a Super Bowl, Jackson is their best option.
