On Tuesday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, marking a huge first step in his contract situation. The non-exclusive tag allows Jackson the ability to negotiate with other teams, but it also sets the cost of keeping Jackson in Baltimore at $32 million if he cannot work out a deal with another team. Should a team come in with a better offer that Jackson accepts, Baltimore would be compensated with two first-round picks.
It’ll be a very interesting handful of months while we wait to see if anyone can make a real splash in the Jackson sweepstakes. But, what’s weird is that a few teams, such as some that are listed below, have already made it public by saying they are not interested in signing the former league MVP.
From a fantasy perspective though, we have our own selfish desires and narratives that we’d love to see, so here are our top five teams we’d love to see swoop in and make Lamar their franchise quarterback moving forward.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
This is completely fantasy related and has little merit in terms of real-world likelihood, but the thought of Lamar in Miami really tickles my balls. First off, he’d look fucking fresh in those all-white uniforms. Absolutely, no doubt in my mind. But more importantly, that offense would become arguably the fastest in NFL history between him, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. Even speedster Raheem Mostert would fit in before his body breaks down for the zillionth time.
While the Dolphins were one of the teams that quickly said they weren’t going to pursue Jackson, we can never trust an NFL team — especially when that certain team is linked to a retired goat. Jackson would certainly be an upgrade over Tua and we have no idea how long he’ll stay healthy moving forward.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Here’s a more realistic scenario with the Raiders having an opening at QB after parting ways with Derek Carr. Currently, the Raiders have Jarrett Stidham as its QB1, but this offense is flush with talent with Davante Adams, Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, and Hunter Renfrow. Not only would Jackson flourish in Sin City, but he’d have a loaded weapons cabinet on this win-now team. Plus, people forget Josh McDaniels begged Bill Belichick to draft Jackson and he could design an offense that fits Jackson’s skill set. This could be McDaniels’ chance to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the wild AFC West.
ATLANTA FALCONS
While the team has already come out and said they will NOT be pursuing Jackson, that doesn’t mean I don’t want him there. In all honesty, the Falcons come off as extremely stupid to not even consider Jackson as a franchise quarterback.
But sure, let’s go with Desmond Ridder, who has all the looks and makings of a perennial high-level QB (sarcasm).
Anyways, this offense is also flush with young talent. He’d have Drake London and Kyle Pitts to unlock and a sneaky solid running back in Tyler Allgeier, who put up over 1,000 yards as a rookie. Also, Lamar would look fresh as fuck in that uniform and he’d burn the turf in the Mercedes Benz Stadium.
NEW YORK JETS
This one is less sexy, but the Jets have the pieces to make a legitimate run. Even with the horrific Zach Wilson, the Jets were on the cusp of a playoff berth and the quad is littered with young talent. Whether it’s Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, or Breece Hall, Jackson would be able to take these young weapons to the next level. Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo have been linked to the Jets more frequently, but Jackson’s youth would fit in perfectly long-term with this up-and-coming team that is missing a signal-caller.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
If there’s a team that needs a fresh start and total reset, the Commanders would be a solid pick. New ownership is on the way, and with it, a new quarterback and face of the franchise is badly needed.
The Commanders showed plenty of fight last season and had a relatively strong defense. The offense is waiting to be unlocked and we should all pray for Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson to get their franchise quarterback. Break the bank and walk away, Daniel Snyder.
THIS WOULD BE FUN: PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Here’s a little bonus pick that would require imagination. I think we all know (Steelers front office included), that Kenny Pickett probably isn’t a long-term answer. He’s good, but he won’t be great. This Steelers team has tons of talent between Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth and that’s a crew you don’t want to misuse. Plus, having Mike Tomlin at the helm with Lamar added into the fold would send this team skyrocketing up the AFC power rankings. As ridiculous as it might seem, Pittsburgh probably wouldn’t be hurt so much in regards to the draft picks as they could trade Pickett and likely get one back to soften the blow.
