Lamar Jackson says he wants the Baltimore Ravens to trade him, but at least one NFL insider does not think that is going to happen.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media spoke about the Jackson situation during a Monday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The reporter said the Ravens have continued to negotiate with Jackson and “want to get a deal done.” Rapoport still views Jackson signing a new contract to remain with the Ravens as the most likely outcome.
“It does seem like his trade request is more like, ‘I’d like to get a deal done with the Ravens for the right amount, and if that doesn’t work then trade me,'” Rapoport said. “That’s kind of what it feels like more than just, ‘I hate all these people, get me out of here, trade me.’ The relationship is really pretty good and fine.
“There are situations where, theoretically, I could see a deal getting done with an offer sheet from some team. But to me, the most likely is he comes back to the Ravens. His market seems to be the best with the Ravens. Other teams know how good he is, but I do feel like he’s the Ravens’ guy.”
You can hear more below:
"I know the Ravens still wanna get a deal done with Lamar Jackson and I think he still ends up back in Baltimore" ~ @RapSheet#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/4Ng8XYfbcl
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 3, 2023
The issue for Jackson is that he seems to want more guaranteed money than any team (not just the Ravens) is willing to pay. There has been some talk of him potentially sitting out in 2023 if Baltimore does not meet his demands, but that seems unlikely.
Jackson will almost certainly need to back down from his contract demands if he wants a new deal from the Ravens or any other team. If he does, it would make much more sense for Baltimore to extend him than for another team to sign the former MVP to an offer sheet and give up two first-round draft picks.
