Three Lamar Jackson Trade Destinations

The Baltimore Ravens cannot put off the Lamar Jackson situation any longer. The former MVP quarterback will hit free agency in three weeks. There have been zero rumors about negotiations between the team and player, so as of now we have to assume they are nowhere near an agreement on a new contract. Decision time is rapidly approaching for both sides.

A significant milestone in the timeline passed yesterday when the franchise tag window opened up. Between now and the start of free agency on March 13, the Ravens can use some kind of franchise tag on Jackson. If they had no hope of a new contract, they would've slapped the tag on him immediately to declare their intentions of keeping him in a Ravens uniform next season no matter what to both Jackson and the rest of the league.

But they did not. That could mean there's hope between the two sides that a long-term agreement can be reached. Or it could mean they are considering all their options. Like a trade. Which seemed unthinkable eight months ago, but times are changing. Rumors first emerged about the Ravens being open to a trade if it were a big enough return a few weeks ago. Today, ESPN published a longform piece examining the situation and said the likelihood of Baltimore trading Jackson has never been higher:

If there is no compromise, the possibility of the Ravens trading Jackson, who in 2019 joined Tom Brady as the only unanimous MVPs in NFL history, has never been more likely. That's assuming another team would be willing to make the necessary commitment, which likely would mean multiple first-round picks to the Ravens and a fully guaranteed deal for Jackson.

"A couple of months ago, I would have said no way [that a trade will happen]," said a team source in the days after the playoff loss. "Now it feels like anything is possible."

If the Ravens made it known they were open for business, there would be teams interested. As stated above the price would be extremely steep and things have not worked out so well recently for other teams that have traded a ton of picks for quarterbacks, so there will be hesitation. But there would be interest.

Here are a few possible trade destinations for Jackson. The prerequisites for being included on this list are pretty simple-- a need for a quarterback, an easy way to a lot of cap space, and a plethora of picks.