Arguably the best player hitting the free agent market this offseason is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson has a chance to reset the quarterback market even if the Ravens place the franchise tag on him.

The 2019 MVP has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons, which could ding his market a little bit. He made it through 12 games in each of 2021 and 2022 before suffering an injury and missing the remainder of the season.

Before going down with an injury this time around, Lamar Jackson was looking closer to the MVP version of himself despite an underwhelming supporting cast around him. Baltimore traded his No. 1 receiver, Marquise Brown, to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2022 NFL Draft and didn’t fill that void. The new No. 1 target, second-year Rashod Bateman, played in only six games.

Despite that, Lamar Jackson completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns with only seven interceptions in 12 games. It was a pretty steep dropoff in yardage compared to last season, but the scoring was there and his ball security was much better.

On the ground, Lamar Jackson tore it up once again. He was on pace for his third season with 1,000 rushing yards, gaining 764 yards on 112 carries with three more scores. That dynamic style of play is something many teams around the NFL, including the Ravens, would love to have on their roster.

Will Baltimore be able to secure a long-term deal with their star quarterback? If not, a former NFC executive that spoke to NFL Analysis Network believes the Minnesota Vikings would be a prime trade candidate for Lamar Jackson.

“The Vikings could be a team to watch too. If the Ravens are forced to trade Lamar (Jackson), they’ll want to move him to the NFC. A chance to upgrade from Kirk Cousins to Lamar is something Minnesota couldn’t pass on.”

The Vikings made some strides in the first season under Kevin O’Connell, running away with the NFC North title. Kirk Cousins had a solid season, but there wouldn’t be any debate that his ceiling is lower than what Lamar Jackson would bring to the table.

It would be great to see what Lamar Jackson could do targeting wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn and tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Irv Smith Jr. Not to mention, they also have a star running back in Dalvin Cook.

After playing without a single Pro Bowl running back or wide receiver his entire tenure in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson would have multiple Pro Bowlers surrounding him in Minnesota. It could be a perfect match as the Vikings need a long-term answer at quarterback with Cousins heading into the final year of his contract and turning 35 in August.