Much has been made of the relative lack of interest in Lamar Jackson from around the NFL, but there may be an explanation for it in how other teams see the Baltimore Ravens handling the situation.
In an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that the general consensus among other teams is that the Ravens will match any offer sheet Jackson receives.
"A lot of teams think the Ravens will match a Lamar Jackson offer sheet no matter what"@RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/qRKcXHTK6u
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 10, 2023
“A lot of people think Baltimore would match,” Rapoport said. “Only the Bears, the Falcons, and really that’s it. Really just those two teams could structure an offer sheet in a way that would make it almost impossible for Baltimore to match. My sense is the Falcons are not doing it.”
While the Falcons need a quarterback, Rapoport said Jackson’s supposed demands for a fully-guaranteed contract were a disincentive for Atlanta to get involved. He also added that by making an offer now, the Falcons would essentially be taking themselves out of free agency entirely while they wait for the Ravens to decide what to do.
The Ravens are essentially betting that Jackson will not get the fully-guaranteed offer sheet he is said to be seeking. As long as they are proven right, they have the means and the apparent willingness to match any offer sheet. If other teams truly believe that, there really is not a lot of reason for them to get involved, though it is early and still entirely possible someone decides to test the Ravens’ resolve.
Jackson received the non-exclusive franchise tag from the Ravens, meaning any team can put in an offer sheet for him that the Ravens would subsequently have the right to match.
