The prospect of Lamar Jackson changing teams seemed to pick up momentum after the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag on him on Tuesday -- but a series of reports appeared to indicate that several quarterback-needy franchises were out of the running.
Within the span of a couple hours after the news of the Ravens deploying the non-exclusive tag on Jackson, all of the Falcons, Commanders, Panthers and Dolphins were reported to be out on the 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowler.
Needless to say, the apparent lack of interest in obtaining a player as accomplished as the 2019 NFL MVP aroused suspicion among football journalists and fans. As well, the NFLPA was said to be monitoring the situation closely.
What could explain the seeming gap between expected interest and what football insiders were reporting?
For many observers who have been intently monitoring developments in Jackson's apparently contentious long-running contract negotiations, the answer was simple: collusion. The word was even trending on Twitter on Tuesday night, presumably due to its heavy usage in Jackson-related chatter.
The long-running impasse between the Ravens and Jackson seems to hinge on guaranteed cash in his next contract. Jackson is reportedly seeking a fully guaranteed deal, while the Ravens are said to be disinclined to go there. To date, only Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been able to extract such a concession.
For NFL team owners, the fully guaranteed contract appears to be a threshold they'd rather not cross, for obvious reasons. Last year, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti even griped publicly that the Watson deal would make subsequent negotiations tougher for other teams. The Ravens' hardline stance and Bisciotti's comments have fueled suspicion that the owners are hellbent on making Watson's deal an exception, rather than the norm.
Certainly, that's what many NFL journalists suggested on social media on Tuesday evening, including household names such as Ryan Clark, Clarence Hill Jr., Jim Trotter, Robert Griffin III, and countless others.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram