The New England Patriots are not interested in Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to the athletic.
There was speculation that coach Bill Belichick’s front office might go after the disgruntled former MVP. Adding to the rumors, team owner Robert Kraft revealed at this week’s owners meetings in Phoenix that rapper Meek Mill told him Jackson wants to be a Patriot.
However, as Kraft explained, that decision belongs to Belichick, and Bleacher Report now claims the six-time Super Bowl champion isn’t interested.
Unless the Patriots add a quarterback in next month’s draft, they will likely return with Mac Jones at center for the 2023 season. The 24-year-old has gone 16-15 in two seasons, pitching for 6,798 yards (219.3 per game) and 36 touchdowns, while throwing 24 interceptions. He, too, has been sacked 62 times in his brief career, which continues to be a concern going forward.
On Tuesday, Jackson hit back at critics for suggesting he sat out the playoffs, not because of injury, but to preserve his health for his next contract.
Lamar Jackson (left) is reportedly not in Bill Belichick’s plans for the New England Patriots.
Team owner Robert Kraft (left) said he was told by rapper Meek Mill (right) that the quarterback wants to join Pats.
Jackson sprained his knee on December 4 and was initially predicted to miss two to three weeks, but ended up missing six when Baltimore was defeated by the Bengals 24-17 in the wild card round.
He was criticized in some corners for not playing with pain – even by Michael Vick — and left some wondering if his absence from the postseason was because he hadn’t yet gotten the long-term contract he wanted.
Jackson took to Twitter Tuesday to defend his reputation.
“I don’t remember sitting on my guys week 1 vs. jets to week 12 vs. Broncos,” he said. “How come I suddenly feel out for money that I could have hurt myself at any time within that time frame when we know the Super Bowl has been on my mind since April 2018?”
Jackson’s frustration over contract negotiations came to a boil when he announced Monday that he has requested a trade from the Ravens.
Unfortunately for the former MVP, staying in Baltimore might be his best and only option.
“We made the decision to go with Lamar Jackson five years ago,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix shortly after being told by reporters that Jackson revealed he requested a exchange on March 2.
‘Because? Because we love it. We love the way he plays. We love his mentality. We love his charisma, his style. His way of being in the locker room. Everything about him, we love him. I love him personally. I love being the coach of the team he plays for. That’s what you do. You build a team around your players, and that’s what I’m excited to do.’
If the two sides can’t reach a long-term deal by July 17, Jackson could play this season on the $32.4 million franchise tag.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh has said the team is still planning around Jackson.
Jackson hasn’t generated any interest in free agency after the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him. Some teams immediately said they would not go after Jackson. The Washington Commanders joined that list on Monday.
“There are a lot of talented players that could help us that we haven’t finished talking to for various reasons, and Lamar falls into that category,” Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew said.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has suggested that the owners are in cahoots against Jackson.
“I have never seen teams so quick to publicly announce their lack of interest in an MVP quarterback, who is in his prime and will also get an injury guarantee, regardless of his contract,” Smith wrote on the union’s website. . “The fact that right behind Jackson are quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert, who have performed at extremely high levels under their rookie contracts.
‘A fully guaranteed contact in Jackson’s case means that all quarterbacks with expiring rookie contracts will demand them (and should anyway) in the next cycle. Make no mistake, what’s happening right now is his effort to block the same cycle that ushered in fully guaranteed contracts in other sports.
But Jackson’s situation is more complex.
A team that signs him to an offer sheet would lose two first-round picks if Baltimore refused to match the deal. Jackson has missed 10 games over the past two seasons due to injuries, so teams might see him as a risk and would rather build around a young quarterback playing on a rookie contract.
The main sticking point between Jackson and the Ravens is guaranteed money.
Jackson saw Deshaun Watson land a fully guaranteed, $230 million, five-year contract from the Cleveland Browns last season and wants one, too.
Jackson has a point. He has accomplished more than Watson and doesn’t have the baggage. The Browns gave Watson that deal despite an impending suspension for sexual misconduct only after he said he wasn’t interested in playing for Cleveland.
Jackson watched Deshaun Watson get a fully guaranteed $230 million contract from the Browns
The Browns couldn’t have persuaded Watson to accept a trade without promising him a fully guaranteed contract, so the hapless franchise made a desperate decision.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti publicly criticized the Browns for doing so, and other owners have quietly lamented the deal.
‘I don’t know if I should have been the first to get a fully guaranteed contract. For me, that is something innovative and it will make negotiations with others more difficult,” Bisciotti said last year.
No team has done it since.
Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray signed lucrative contracts last season with partial guarantees. Derek Carr, Daniel Jones and Geno Smith are other quarterbacks who signed big deals this offseason with partial guarantees.
Kirk Cousins previously landed a fully guaranteed deal from the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, but it was only worth $84 million over three years. The Ravens already offered Jackson a lot more. He said he turned down a $133 million, three-year contract that was fully guaranteed.
Another factor is that Jackson acts as his own agent. That can be tricky in contract negotiations of this magnitude, though Harbaugh made it a point to praise Jackson’s negotiating skills.
This is a dispute where both parties have strong arguments.