Lamar Jackson seemed very unhappy with the Baltimore Ravens after they traded his top wide receiver on Friday night, but apparently that frustration should be directed toward his former teammate.
The Ravens traded Brown to the Arizona Cardinals in a deal that involved multiple draft picks. After the deal was finalized, Brown told “I Am Athlete Tonight” on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio that the move was made at his request. The former Oklahoma star says he asked for a trade because of “my happiness.”
“I talked to Lamar about it after my second year. And then after my third year, leading up to the end of the season, you know, he wasn’t playing,” Brown explained, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I let him know again, like, ‘Yeah, bro, I can’t do it.’ You know, it’s not really on Lamar, like I love Lamar. It was just, you know, it’s just the system just wasn’t for me personally. You know, I love all my teammates. I love the guys. It was just something I had to think about for myself.”
That sounds an awful lot like Brown did not want to play with Jackson, even if the two are close friends. Baltimore’s offense is built around Jackson and is very much run-first. That was obviously a source of frustration for Brown.
Brown enjoyed a breakout season last year with 91 catches for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. The former first-round pick must feel he can do better elsewhere. Jackson fired off an angry social media post after Brown was dealt, but the Ravens were simply fulfilling one of the NFL’s latest wide receiver trade requests.
