No Team Will Make Lamar Jackson An Offer, NFL Insider Predicts
It sounds like Lamar Jackson won't have lots of offers thrown his way.
The Baltimore Ravens recently used the non-exclusive tag on Lamar Jackson. That means teams can still make him offers, but the Ravens reserve the right to match.
So far, there appears to be very limited interest around the league in the Ravens passer. ESPN reporter and NFL insider Jeremy Fowler doesn't expect that to change in the near future.
"I don't expect him to sign the tag. I don't expect teams to make offers here soon, and I've talked to multiple teams that predict that no team will make an offer, as crazy as it sounds," Fowler explained on ESPN.
Fowler cited teams needing to give up two first round picks, building an entire new offense, tons of guaranteed money and Lamar's questionable health as reasons why teams might smash the pause button.
Why might teams not be interested in Lamar Jackson?
While there are a lot of theories out there, including half-baked takes about racism, about why Lamar Jackson might not get huge contracts offered to him.
The situation might actually be shockingly simple. NFL owners don't want to be guaranteeing $200+ million contracts.
The Browns went against the status quo by inking Deshaun Watson to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. Owners weren't happy. Now, if Lamar Jackson gets a contract in the same range with $200 million or more in guaranteed cash, that will become the norm.
One crazy owner doing it can be pointed to as an outlier. As soon as a second team does it, it's now the market and precedent.
As OutKick's Dan Zaksheske wrote, there might be collusion going on, and if there is, the reason above is why - not racism.
You know what billionaires love? Their money, and they hate it being messed with. Jimmy Haslam giving Deshaun Watson his deal wasn't something they liked, and now, no owner seems interested in doing the same with Lamar Jackson.
Could a team come in and throw Lamar a bag? Sure, but so far, multiple teams have already ruled it out. As long as Lamar Jackson demands huge money, which is his right, teams are going to pass.
One contract can be excused as a crazy owner going rogue. A second contract like Deshaun Watson's makes it the new normal. NFL owners have zero interest in that, and Lamar might be learning that the hard way.