Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens star quarterback, has requested a trade. After a year of tumultuous contract negotiations, including the team applying the non-exclusive franchise tag to him, the cold war has boiled over. With Jackson now on the trade block, there are some clear frontrunners for his services. However, besides the obvious franchises, which are the sleeper trade destinations for Jackson?
Three Sleeper Trade Destinations for Lamar Jackson
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a sleeper trade destination for Jackson. They have Ryan Tannehill as their starting quarterback currently, and also drafted Malik Willis in the third round of the draft last year. Despite that, Jackson would be a vast upgrade over both those options, and could be a highly intriguing addition to Tennessee’s offense. The team have Derrick Henry, one of the league’s best running backs, and a rushing combination of Jackson and Henry would surely make the Titans smashmouth juggernauts.
Tennessee are in a strange position currently. They have some very good pieces but, after a disappointing 2022 season, could be heading for a rebuild sooner rather than later. Acquiring Jackson (and finding a way to offload Tannehill) could prevent the need for a total rebuild. The Titans are also said to be interested in DeAndre Hopkins. In terms of cap space, it would be hard to accommodate for both Jackson and Hopkins but, if they could make it work, they would have a super team on their hands.
Poetically, in Jackson’s 2019 MVP season, the Titans and Henry sent Baltimore packing in the first round of the playoffs. Now, Jackson could join Tennessee.
Mike Vrabel after watching Lamar Jackson carve up the Titans during the 2020-21 Wild Card round
“He’s faster than the whole team, we can’t tackle him guys” pic.twitter.com/efHOiACGwr
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 10, 2023
Chicago Bears
Another sleeper trade destination for Jackson is in the NFC North. The Chicago Bears will rarely meet Baltimore, which means that trading Jackson to them would be an attractive proposal. After Justin Fields’ exceptional season, it would seem strange to swap him for Jackson. However, Fields could be a great bargaining chip to lower Baltimore’s asking price for Jackson. It was also rumoured earlier in the off-season that, should a good offer come along or if the team are infatuated with any of the 2023 NFL Draft’s quarterbacks, the Bears would be open to moving on from Fields.
With that said, this would be a very rogue move from GM Ryan Poles. Poles seems to be undertaking a full rebuild in Chicago and so acquiring the highly expensive Jackson would be counterintuitive. The fact that Chicago traded down from the first overall pick also points to them wanting to build a more complete, young roster.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are the final team on this list. With the second overall pick this year, Houston look set to land their franchise quarterback since losing Deshaun Watson. However, former head coach Lovie Smith’s final-game victory removed Houston from acquiring the first overall pick. As such, the Carolina Panthers snuck in front of Houston and have their pick of all the quarterbacks. If Houston are unwilling to settle for the second quarterback on their board, they could instead make a move for Jackson.
Houston have lots of cap space and could afford to pay Jackson. Their roster is gutted but, with Jackson, that would solve their quarterback situation for now. He would also be a fantastic scheme fit for Houston’s new offense. New head coach DeMeco Ryans appointed Bobby Slowik as his offensive coordinator. Slowik, a disciple of the Shanahan offense, would do wonders with Jackson. He would also be able to elevate Jackson’s passing game to new heights. With Brandin Cooks traded, Houston seem to be sellers this off-season. But a move for Jackson would turn that on its head. While it may change the fortunes of Houston right now, the unlikelihood of the trade means Houston remains a sleeper trade destination for Jackson.
If the #texans want to trade for Lamar Jackson the most ideal way to do so is after the draft:
Trade back from 2 getting an additional 1st in 2025 and other draft capital
Draft like normal in 2023Trade Texans 2024 & 2025 1st round pick still leaving them with a 1st in 24 & 25
— The Golf Guy (@YoungAri_Gold) March 27, 2023
Main Image: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
