What is ensuing involving Lamar Jackson this offseason is unprecedented. The former MVP is hitting free agency after he and the Baltimore Ravens were unable to agree to a contract extension before his fifth season. That has led to Lamar Jackson receiving the non-exclusive franchise tag.
As a result, other teams around the league are allowed to negotiate with Lamar Jackson. Should they agree to an offer sheet, the Ravens will have the right to match. Should Baltimore opt to not match, they will receive a first-round pick in 2023 and 2024 in exchange for the Louisville product.
Somewhat conspicuously, and with a hint of collusion, numerous franchises have already been reported as being out on pursuing Lamar Jackson. Within hours of the franchise tag being placed on him, national reporters shared that teams didn’t want to even attempt pursuing a former MVP, who is 45-16 as a starter and not even at his prime yet at 26 years old.
In what seems like a concerted effort by owners to corral the quarterback market, Lamar Jackson is losing out. We have seen far less accomplished quarterbacks land massive contracts and he may have to play without a long-term deal for a second consecutive season.
Eventually, a team will step up and pursue him. He is just too talented to have a team not cave and make a competitive offer to him. Whether the Ravens match or not is another story, but something will give eventually.
Could the San Francisco 49ers be one team that makes an offer? On the surface, they seem like a very unlikely landing spot for Lamar Jackson. They have two young options at quarterback in Trey Lance and Brock Purdy still on their rookie contracts. Not owning their first-round pick would create another challenge and some heavy lifting would have to be done to fit a new contract for Lamar Jackson under the salary cap as well.
But, when there is a will, there is a way. There are loopholes that San Francisco would be able to exploit if they were to seriously pursue a deal for Lamar Jackson. As laid out by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, the 49ers could offer a first and second-round pick in 2024 along with Lance to get a deal done.
A player such as Brandon Aiyuk could also be included to sweeten the pot. Since he is extension eligible, the 49ers may be more willing to include him as their roster is already very expensive.
While it is extremely unlikely that the 49ers are a suitor for Lamar Jackson, there is a route they could take should their plans change. Watching him in Kyle Shanahan’s offense with Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle would be a blast for football fans. For defenses scheming to slow that group down, it certainly wouldn’t be as enjoyable.
