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Add the Patriots to list of teams not planning to take a swing on Lamar Jackson.
Per Mark Daniels of MassLive, a league source says New England is reportedly staying clear of any sweepstakes to add the former MVP, who can negotiate contracts with other teams while under the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him by the Baltimore Ravens.
Any team can sign Jackson to an offer sheet, but Baltimore would have a chance to match the deal. Additionally, if the new team won the bidding for Jackson, it would have to give up two first-round picks to the Ravens in exchange for the quarterback.
The Patriots join a list of teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers and the Miami Dolphins that reportedly won't pursue stealing Jackson from Baltimore.
Jackson is undoubtedly one of the most electrifying players in football, winning the MVP Award in 2019 and earning two Pro Bowl nods. He ranks 13th in EPA/play + completion percentage above expected (CPOE), one spot behind Tom Brady, since coming into the league in 2018 and had the fifth-best Pro Football Focus grade among quarterbacks last season behind Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.
Unfortunately, injuries (not from running the football) have cost Jackson 10 games over the last two seasons. Also, he reportedly wants to top Deshaun Watson's market-busting $230 million fully guaranteed deal from last season, which the Ravens (and other teams) have balked at.
Though Jackson would be an upgrade over Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe, Bill Belichick was never likely to be interested in what it would cost to obtain Jackson's services, even for all the praise he has spoken of the quarterback before.
New England currently has two cheap quarterbacks under contract for the next two seasons at least with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, which allows the team to build a more capable roster around them. Having an extremely expensive quarterback, even one as good as Jackson, would hamper the Patriots' ability to do that.
So it comes as no surprise the Patriots aren't planning on making a move on Jackson, even though it means they might have the worst quarterback situation in the AFC East assuming New York completes its apparent quest to trade for Aaron Rodgers.
