Evaluating Lamar Jackson’s Potential Landing Spots

The 26 year old former MVP and Heisman winner is heading into his sixth NFL season, and his contract with the Baltimore Ravens is up. There is a lot of speculation as to whether the Ravens are willing to back the truck up for Lamar, or if they are leaning towards rolling the dice on Tyler Huntley or some new quarterback and putting their money towards other investments. Many believe that the Ravens will likely end up franchise tagging the young QB, and pushing back the contract talks another year. While this is the most likely scenario, it is always fun to speculate and evaluate all the crazy possibilities. So before the Ravens do this and make this article obsolete, let’s look at those potential landing spots for Lamar if he is to hit the open market or is traded before then.

Baltimore Ravens

As previously mentioned, the most likely outcome of this whole situation is for Lamar to end up back with the Ravens. Whether that be by franchise tag or they figure out a contract, this makes the most sense. Lamar has flourished in previous seasons when healthy, and the Ravens have built a contending roster around him. Although he was injured this season and they still made the playoffs with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley at the helm, it is obvious that this team is at their full potential when Lamar is healthy and in charge of the offense. No reason to screw this up, just pay the man and continue to watch your team succeed and make the postseason year after year as they vie for a Super Bowl Championship.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are already in rebuild mode after saying goodbye to longtime quarterback Matt Ryan last season, so they should have no fear in attempting to go after a potential franchise saving quarterback. They actually did this last offseason. If you can recall, the Falcons were one of a handful of teams that were in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes before he was eventually traded to Cleveland. If they were willing to go after Watson despite his concerning issues surrounding his allegations, then why would they have an issue going after Jackson? He is definitely worth more than Watson, but he doesn’t bring any of those concerns that Watson had at the time. So the Falcons should have no issue throwing a ton of money at the young QB. Lamar would then be able to work with some exciting weapons like Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Although this may not be the most ideal situation for Lamar in terms of competing for a Super Bowl, the Falcons would be able to pay him exactly what he is asking for and more. Atlanta would end up with their franchise quarterback, and Lamar would get the pay he deserves. Win-win.

New Orleans Saints

Just like the Falcons, the Saints were also in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes last offseason. They have been searching for a new franchise quarterback since Drew Brees retired at the end of the 2020 season. Although Jameis Winston came along and was fun for a little, the Saints know they’re going to have to find a true franchise QB soon. Why not go after Lamar? The NFC South was the worst division in football last season, and with Tom Brady retired there won’t be a single proven quarterback in the division. This should push the Saints more than anything to find a proven QB as soon as possible. Although they always seem to be pushing their limit with the cap space, they always find a way to massage it to where they somehow stay under. They most likely had a plan in place for their cap space if they ended up with Watson last season, so who’s to say they won’t have a plan in place if they land Lamar? Lamar would then take over a roster with a talented defense and some explosive playmakers in Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave. That offensive line is also considered one of the best in football, so just imagine the damage Lamar could do behind that unit. Overall, if the Saints are able to pull this off, they would instantly place themselves as division favorites and Lamar would be able to work behind a stout offensive line with some dynamic playmakers.

(Image via: Mitch Stringer, USA-Today Sports)

Carolina Panthers

And again just like the previous two teams, the Panthers were in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes last offseason as well. And similarly they are also in the NFC South. The Panthers have been in rebuild mode since their appearance in Super Bowl 50 and have been searching for a franchise quarterback ever since they moved on from Cam Newton a few years ago. They have already shown they are not afraid to experiment with different quarterbacks, they spent a hefty amount on Teddy Bridgewater and even traded for questionable quarterbacks like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. They still have stud receiver D.J. Moore, however they traded star running back Christian McCaffrey this previous season, so the weapons situation in Carolina is not ideal for Lamar. However, they would be able to give him a hefty payday. Although this may not be the best situation for Lamar, the franchise has shown it is not afraid to go after new opportunities when they present themselves. So putting it all on the line for Lamar and gambling on his potential to turn their franchise around is not out of the question for the Panthers, which makes it very possible for Carolina to pull the trigger on a potential trade for the stud quarterback.

New York Jets

The Jets proved how talented their roster is in 2022. Although they went 7-10, they were in playoff contention most of the year and took home both the offensive and defensive rookie of the year awards. If it wasn’t for their questionable quarterback situation with Zach Wilson, the Jets would have most likely made a better push for the playoffs and potentially have gotten in. Although they don’t have a ton of cap space, it will be worth it for them to make some moves in order to get a proven signal caller under center. Their roster is littered with young studs like Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Quinnen Williams, Carl Lawson, Elijah Moore, Mekhi Becton, and Alijah Vera-Tucker. With a young roster this talented, the Jets need to act fast before all these young players get expensive or get fed up with being mediocre year after year. Trading for Lamar would instantly put these Jets in playoff consideration and they would be able to push the Dolphins and the Bills for the lead in the division.

Miami Dolphins

Now this is very unlikely to happen, however it is fun to speculate the idea of Lamar in an offense led by Mike McDaniel with weapons like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Although Tua Tagovailoa took huge strides this previous season, his injury concerns are piling up. It would be ideal for the Dolphins to somehow make a move for Jackson, however making it work with their cap situation would be very difficult. I’m sure Lamar would love this situation, and the Dolphins would instantly become one of the favorites in the AFC. However, don’t get your hopes up for this to happen as the idea of the Dolphins moving on from Tua after his first breakthrough season is very far-fetched, even with his injury concerns.

Overall, there are a handful of teams involved in the Lamar Jackson rumors that are possible destinations for the young quarterback. In the end however, I personally predict for the Ravens to franchise tag the young quarterback and push back contract talks another year, but anything is possible.

(Cover image via: Nick Wass, AP Photo)