Lamar Jackson might not be taking the most conventional approach to the looming conclusion of his contract with the Baltimore Ravens, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this season will be his last.
However, if there’s anything the last few months have told us, it’s to expect the unexpected in the quarterback market.
So, here’s one: how about Jackson to the Miami Dolphins?
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio floated the idea Monday during an appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show”.
“If the Ravens don’t get this deal done with him, and he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to negotiate this season, there’s going to be a window of opportunity for them to finally do this after the season assuming he engages," Florio said. "There’s going to be a point where I think the Ravens get exasperated. I don’t know this, I never know anything, life is safer that way, (but) I think that at some point the Ravens are going to throw their hands in the air and say we’ve got to move on. If this guy’s not going to take our money, we just have to move on. You tag him, and you trade him and you maybe trade him to the Miami Dolphins if they’re looking for an upgrade over Tua after this season.
“(Tua’s) got no excuses," Florio later noted. "They’ve improved the offensive line, the receivers, the running backs, the defense is the same and it was awesome last year, they still have the same defensive coordinator. So if they fail this year, it’s going to be easy to take the dotted line right back to Tua, and then the question becomes what do they do next year? Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson? Who knows. It’s an attractive destination.
“If they’re looking for a quarterback next year, that’s going to be the No. 1 destination for a guy that’s looking to get out of the spot that he’s in.”
Unless Tagovailoa takes a substantial step forward this season, Jackson is an obvious upgrade. Sure, there are some concerns with Jackson’s game and its consistency, but at his best he is one of the top players at the most important position in the NFL.
Ultimately, this would be a nuclear option for both teams. For the Dolphins, it would mean they failed yet again to find a long-term option at quarterback, while it would signal a breakdown of contract talks with a franchise quarterback for the Ravens. But if that ends up being the reality, it’s better for both teams to swallow their pride and swing such a deal as opposed to continuing to bury themselves in a mistake.
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