The next chapter in the Lamar Jackson saga is almost upon us. Today is the first day that teams are allowed to place the franchise or transition tag on players who are entering unrestricted free agency. That could certainly be the route that the Baltimore Ravens take with their star quarterback.
With an extension already agreed to with linebacker Roquan Smith, the Ravens are going to put all of their attention on Lamar Jackson to try and hammer out a long-term deal. This will set the tone for the franchise for years to come because if they cannot work out a contract with the former MVP, they could have to start looking at other options.
Baltimore holds a lot of the cards, especially with the franchise tag as an option. However, we have seen a few examples of a player successfully pushing his way out of town. Quarterback Deshaun Watson did it with the Houston Texans after signing a lucrative extension. Wide receiver Davante Adams was tag-and-traded by the Green Bay Packers last offseason.
The tag-and-trade route is certainly a possibility when it comes to Lamar Jackson. If the relationship is not able to be mended, as it was with Adams and the Packers, they can seek out a team willing to trade for him.
If Lamar Jackson were put on the trade block, there would assuredly be a ton of interest in him. He is a very dynamic player, raising the Ravens’ ceiling immensely whenever he is on the field. One team that could check in on his availability is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers are going to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason after Tom Brady announced his retirement. Kyle Trask is the only player under contract right now for 2023 at the position and it would be shocking if competition wasn’t brought in for him.
Right now, the Buccaneers are listed as one of the favorites to trade for Lamar Jackson should he not suit up for the Ravens in 2023. Their current odds of +500 have an implied probability of only 16.67 percent, but those odds would increase depending on how the rest of the quarterback market shook out.
The franchise right ahead of the Buccaneers on the list is the Las Vegas Raiders with +450 with an implied probability of 18.18 percent. They have also been linked to Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo, so the Raiders may not really be a top option for Lamar Jackson.
Also ahead of the Buccaneers on the list is the New York Jets with odds of +350 and an implied probability of 22.22 percent. Their place on the list may not last for long as they are big favorites at -300 with an implied probability of 75 percent to land Derek Carr.
That would leave only the Atlanta Falcons, who are the favorites at +300 with an implied probability of 25 percent, as a realistic landing spot for Lamar Jackson. They have Desmond Ridder as their starter right now, but if the opportunity presented itself to land the Baltimore star, they would probably jump at the chance.
