Don’t anticipate the Washington Commanders going after the Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson announced Monday publicly he requested a trade from the Ravens before the team placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on the former NFL MVP on March 7.
Speaking to reporters Monday at the NFL owners’ meetings, Commanders’ general manager Martin Mayhew said the team won’t pursue Jackson. Instead, Washington is comfortable with their two quarterbacks, veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett and second-year fifth-round draft pick Sam Howell.
On Tuesday, it was head coach Ron Rivera’s turn to talk to the media. Rivera doubled down on the Commanders’ stance by saying the team never considered Jackson.
“Honestly, we never did,” Rivera said, per Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. “It was just something that we just didn’t feel suited what we wanted to do. I know he’s a tremendous talent. I know he’s a player that can impact your team. I just didn’t think — we sat down and talked about it, that wasn’t the direction for us.”
Lamar Jackson is reportedly seeking a contract that will reset the quarterback market. Last year, the Cleveland Browns reset the market with Deshaun Watson after acquiring him from the Houston Texans in a trade. The Browns gave Watson a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
NFL owners have seemingly painted Watson’s deal as an outlier. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti expressed his frustration with the Browns for handing out such a deal. Meanwhile, quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray signed contracts with huge guarantees but not fully guaranteed after Watson.
Jackson has taken a stand. It’s some debate about whether he wants a fully-guaranteed deal. But certainly, he doesn’t like what Baltimore has offered him thus far.
Media and fans have linked Jackson to the Commanders since his contract dispute with Baltimore started. Yet, Mayhew stressed he wasn’t sure where the notion came from.
Rivera broke down why Washington chose to stay away from Jackson.
“You look at what the impact on your roster-building is,” Rivera said about trading for Jackson. “What were the assets we’d have to use to get him? What would the financial impact be? These are things we have to think about separate of anybody else. This is why we did what we’re doing.”
This offseason, the Commanders have made Daron Payne one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL, signing him to a four-year, $90 million extension. They also added depth to the linebacker and the secondary. Additionally, Washington is reshaping its offensive line.
The assets required to trade for Jackson would take away from the plans. Not to mention, the Commanders are right up against the salary cap with just under $3.1 million of cap space. Trading multiple draft picks and then paying a quarterback over $40 million per season would be hard to build a roster behind. It’s honestly why the Baltimore Ravens have hesitated on extending Jackson in the first place.
If Jackson is traded this offseason, it’s hard to imagine the Commanders being involved after Rivera’s explanation.
