Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is now the MVP favorite following a blowout 33-19 victory over the mighty San Francisco 49ers. The former first-round pick is well on his way to winning the second MVP of his career, and just about every team in the league would love to have a player like him as their franchise quarterback. This is particularly ironic, seeing as every team had a shot to add him just a few months ago, and they all said no.
Back in March, Lamar Jackson was working on negotiating his contract with the Ravens. The two sides couldn’t come to terms, so Baltimore used the franchise tag to keep the quarterback from hitting free agency. Still, teams had the opportunity to reach out to Jackson and try to negotiate a deal. The Ravens would then have a chance to match said contract and, if they didn’t, they’d earn two first-round picks for his services.
This is a high price to pay for most players, but it’s more than reasonable for a former MVP at the game’s most important position. However, to everyone’s shock, teams across the league were outwardly saying that they had no interest in pursuing Lamar Jackson. So, the quarterback returned to the Ravens and once again dazzled the league with MVP-caliber play. Jackson is making a lot of teams look foolish, but is there a single team that can stand by their decision?
9 Teams Said No to Lamar Jackson. How Many Regret It?
The Teams That Outwardly Said No
Whenever a big-name player becomes available, reports circulate across the league regarding teams that could be potentially interested in acquiring said player. However, the Lamar Jackson saga was unique in that several teams went out of their way to publicly announce that they were not going to be pursuing the quarterback. Now, this didn’t just mean that they weren’t going to make an offer – they weren’t even going to bring him in for a visit. These teams felt comfortable with what they had and didn’t think Jackson was worth two first-round picks. Let’s see if they still feel that way.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders spent the offseason watching Sam Howell earn the starting job from Jacoby Brissett. While the second-year pro showed some promise early in the season, he has collapsed down the stretch. Over the past five games, Howell has completed just 55% of his passes for 841 yards (5.3 yards per attempt), two touchdowns, and eight interceptions. While he has played a little better than those numbers imply, he has also been benched in each of the past two games. Even with Lamar Jackson, the Commanders would still have the worst defense in the league and would not be Super Bowl contenders. However, they’d probably be in the playoff picture and Ron Rivera might not be on the hot seat.
New York Jets
The New York Jets were not in on Lamar Jackson because they wanted Aaron Rodgers instead. Honestly, it’s hard to fault them for this decision. While Jackson is the better quarterback at this point, the Jets would have had to pay a premium for his services. Rodgers, meanwhile, only required a first-round pick (had he stayed healthy), and he even changed his contract to take a pay cut. Unfortunately, New York’s season went up in smoke when Rodgers tore his Achilles after just four snaps. So, you can chalk this one up to bad luck, rather than poor process.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers ultimately gave up multiple first-round picks for their quarterback, but they effectively chose Bryce Young over Lamar Jackson. So far, that seems to be a poor decision. Young had what was easily the best game of his career last week, completing 63.9% of his passes for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. However, even with this impressive performance, he’s still at or near the bottom of just about every quarterback statistic. Just like with the Commanders, this team is so fundamentally broken that Jackson could not singlehandedly turn the unit into a contender. However, they’d probably be in the thick of the NFC South race if they had a better quarterback.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons decided to roll with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke instead of Lamar Jackson. To nobody’s surprise, this decision did not work out. Head coach Arthur Smith might just be the worst personnel man in the league, but this is probably his biggest failing. Ridder and Heinicke have both been benched for each other throughout the season, and the terrible quarterback situation will likely cost the Falcons the NFC South crown. Now, the Falcons are too good to secure a top quarterback in the draft, but not good enough to make a serious postseason run.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Baker Mayfield to minimal money with the understanding that 2023 was going to be a rebuilding year. The team went all-in on Tom Brady’s final few years and now had the most dead money in the league. They didn’t have the resources to give Jackson the contract he wanted, and this year was supposed to be paying the bill for that 2020 Super Bowl championship. Instead, Mayfield is playing the best football of his career and this team is probably going to win the division. Even though Lamar Jackson is the MVP favorite, the Buccaneers are getting a better bang for their buck in Mayfield’s cheap contract.
San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy played the worst game of his career on Monday Night Football. However, one bad game doesn’t mean that the San Francisco 49ers regret keeping him as their starting quarterback. Yesterday’s results notwithstanding, the former seventh-round pick is playing like a franchise quarterback and could easily guide this team to a Super Bowl title. Lamar Jackson is great, but the 49ers are probably happier with Purdy’s cheap contract and the two first-round picks they didn’t have to trade away.
Detroit Lions
Jared Goff is having a great season under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, but he’s still just Jared Goff. Taking over for Andy Dalton as the prime meridian of quarterback play, he’ll always be exactly as good as his surroundings. Unlike Goff, Lamar Jackson can elevate a team, and you need someone like that when the playoffs start. Even though the price tag is high, there is a chance that Jackson is the difference between a title and a quick postseason exit for the Lions.
The Reported Rejections
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots never outwardly said they weren’t interested in Lamar Jackson, but they never brought him in. The team apparently believed that Matt Patricia was solely responsible for Mac Jones’ regression and that Bill O’Brien could bring out the best in the former first-round pick. As it turns out, they were wrong. Jones was the worst quarterback in the league before his benching, and while Bailey Zappe has shown some signs of life, he’s nothing more than a good backup. The Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league and would probably be a Wild Card team had they gone with Jackson.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints were never serious suitors for Lamar Jackson because they already spent big on Derek Carr. Whoops. Despite his massive contract, Carr has been no better than Andy Dalton, while Lamar Jackson has taken the Ravens to the top of the AFC. The Saints believed they were a quarterback away from a deep postseason run, but they clearly chose the wrong quarterback.
Main Photo: Cary Edmonson – USA Today Sports
