NFL Insider Shuts Down ‘Laughable’ Lamar Jackson Narrative

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has spent the entirety of the 2023 NFL season flipping the script while simultaneously building a convincing MVP-caliber campaign and directing Baltimore to an AFC title game appearance.

That's a spot the Ravens haven't found themselves in since Baltimore last won the Super Bowl, 12 years ago. For Jackson, it's also been a mountain climb from last season's 10-7 finish in which Baltimore fell in the wild-card round, raising one major question: Is Jackson legit?

Jackson's future with the Ravens came under question in the offseason after Baltimore's early playoff exit, but in hindsight, the then-growing portrayal of the situation remains "laughable," according to one NFL insider.

"The idea that teams preferred Desmond Ridder or Sam Howell to Jackson is laughable," The Athletic's Mike Sando wrote Sunday. "The question is whether teams with those types of quarterbacks should have tried to negotiate with Jackson."

Sando tore apart the misleading idea that Jackson was up for grabs for virtually any organization looking to take a flyer.

Jackson, franchise-tagged by the Ravens at the time, had agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract extension. It was clear that Jackson wanted a payday, and any team interested in arranging a swap with Baltimore would need to make that happen -- which isn't easy considering the rough ending Jackson was fresh off as a then-career 1-3 playoff quarterback.

"Everybody was interested (in Jackson)," an anonymous NFL executive said, per Sando. "They were not interested in the package. Because he was so vociferous about getting that guaranteed deal, those franchises made it clear, there is nothing to talk about."

Now, watching the Ravens go an NFL-best 13-4 under Jackson's career-best season, it's easy to hop aboard a misunderstood boat of assumptions and false speculation. Especially considering that Jackson's made it out as the only AFC threat left to takedown Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.