The Baltimore Ravens did an unusual thing with their star quarterback. Baltimore put a nonexclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson on March 7 for the other 31 teams to negotiate with him. It was a unique situation because a player like the Heisman Trophy winner, who was also an MVP winner, was put in such a situation. However, since Baltimore was not interested in meeting his trade value, the 26-year-old demanded a trade. Even though the quarterback is in the middle of making the most crucial decision of his life, he was awake the entire night. The reason behind that is surprising.
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Both parties had publicly accepted that they wanted to work with each other for a long time. Lamar wanted a franchise tag on him and wanted the team to offer him a long-term deal that granted him a lot of money. The final pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft expected the kind of money that Deshaun Watson got from the Cleveland Bears. But the team does not want to shell out that kind of money, though it was reported that the team did offer him a deal that the star QB did not accept. Something like this would definitely put anyone under pressure.
What did Lamar Jackson do that did not let him sleep all night?
The Louisville product posted a special letter to his fans on Twitter. Jackson thanked his fans for supporting him and fighting for a better contract with him. He also informed them that he asked for a trade because, even though he was an athlete, he had to make a business decision.
in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 27, 2023
Additionally, he wanted to play for a team with which he could win a Super Bowl. In the end, Lamar Jackson said that he wanted to stay close to his fans. Therefore, the two-time Pro Bowler asked his fans to subscribe to his FanPage after he woke up at 11 p.m. One fan found this peculiar and asked him what he would do the entire night if he had slept already.
😂Boy full body workouts will do it
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 29, 2023
Though he did not tell his fans about his plans, he did say that it was because the after-pain of full-body exercise forced him to sleep during the day and wake up late at night.
Potential landing spot for Lamar
Now that the QB wants out of Baltimore, these teams can look into bringing him on board:
- Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons recently cleared a cap space of $67 million. Additionally, Atlanta has a high-ranked offense. With a quarterback like Jackson, they can will titles if they play as well as they did. However, one thing that can stop them from considering him is that they would want to give more time to Desmond Ridder.
- New York Jets: Even though they are forging a deal for Aaron Rodgers, they have not officially named him their QB yet. Jackson could be a great fit here because the team has a high caliber and can win titles. Their strong defense makes them a powerful Super Bowl candidate. They only need a skilled QB to lead them to the playoffs.
- Miami Dolphins: Though Tua Tagovailoa played like a star at the start of 2022, his health declined because of a worrisome series of concussions. For a Dolphins organization that hasn’t had a reliable star behind center in the twenty-first century, Jackson would be a more secure alternative. For an ownership group that has taken judgments in the past with the intention of filling seats, securing Jackson would be a box office draw. Miami’s Tagovailoa era would come to an early end, but a team that hasn’t experienced playoff success since 2000 could want to go with a more reliable option at quarterback.
