Things appear to be breaking the Chicago Bears' way on the quarterback market lately. Derek Carr is a free agent. The two teams favored to sign him are the Jets and Saints, neither of which picks in the top 10 of the upcoming draft. Then there is Aaron Rodgers. After initial rumors suggesting he'd be traded, ESPN countered them with a new update stating it's more likely he stays in Green Bay. That, too, serves the Bears' draft goals perfectly. However, nothing is ever simple with the NFL off-season. There is always at least one wild card on the board. That title belongs to Lamar Jackson.
At this time last year, nobody would've ever believed the former league MVP would play anywhere but Baltimore. He was one of the AFC's emerging group of young superstar quarterbacks. The Ravens have made it clear every week that their goal is to keep him long-term. Unfortunately, Jackson isn't making it that easy. Reports of his contract demands indicate a player angling to be the highest-paid at his position, capped by a fully guaranteed contract similar to Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Jackson having no agent makes the process even harder. Now Jeremy Fowler of ESPN is reporting the unthinkable.
There is a realistic chance Baltimore will trade their star quarterback.
If there is no compromise, the possibility of the Ravens trading Jackson, who in 2019 joined Tom Brady as the only unanimous MVPs in NFL history, has never been more likely. That's assuming another team would be willing to make the necessary commitment, which likely would mean multiple first-round picks to the Ravens and a fully guaranteed deal for Jackson...
..."A couple of months ago, I would have said no way [that a trade will happen]," said a team source in the days after the playoff loss. "Now it feels like anything is possible."
Lamar Jackson being traded created the unknown.
The unknown is rarely a good thing when it comes to well-laid plans. If the Ravens do decide to trade Jackson, it's almost a foregone conclusion they would target an NFC team. In such a case, the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Commanders seem like the most logical fits. Atlanta is the heavy favorite since they have the most salary cap space of the three teams. They can afford to pay Jackson what he wants or something close to it. Where it gets interesting is the draft placement.
Atlanta and Carolina pick 8th and 9th, respectively, in the top 10. If the Ravens trade Lamar Jackson, the package would include one of those picks. That means they'd enter the top 10 with four 1st round picks in the next two drafts and having a sudden glaring need for a quarterback. It wouldn't be difficult for them to package their two 1sts in 2023 and some other picks to grab the #1 overall spot to get whomever they covet in this draft class. If nothing else, it puts another prominent bidder on the board. That is excellent news for the Bears.
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