A team in the AFC with a top-five pick in April’s NFL Draft reportedly could shift gears away from taking a quarterback and pursue Lamar Jackson in NFL free agency.
Free agency in the NFL is a little over a week old and it has seen, as expected, a huge amount of movement around the league. Many star talents have switched allegiances, while others have decided to stick around with their current teams on lucrative long-term pacts.
However, there has never been any doubt about the best player available in NFL free agency, yet the market so far for Lamar Jackson’s talents has been non-existent. After the Baltimore Ravens slapped their non-exclusive franchise tag on the one-time league MVP, teams have mostly run away from the idea of signing him, instead of having conversations with the superstar QB.
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But with all the top free agent signal-callers now off the board and the NFL draft as the only option left to find an impact player at the position, some teams could change directions and open the door to putting in a bid for Lamar Jackson.
Lamar Jackson stats (2022): 3,006 total yards, 20 total TD, 7 INT, 91.1 rating
That could soon be the case with the Indianapolis Colts, the team with the fourth selection in April’s event. On Monday, ESPN NFL reporter Stephen Holder revealed that the team “did not rule out having discussions with Jackson, according to a team source.” While conversations don’t necessarily mean offers will be made, it is still a major leap in a direction no other organizations have made.
The report is interesting because the Colts have made finding a long-term option at quarterback a top priority this offseason. But they did not want to continue on the route they have over the last few seasons of investing in aging veteran QBs. While Jackson is certainly a veteran, at 26 he would be the long-term answer they desire and is NFL proven, unlike the prospects in this year’s draft.
With top prospects Bryce Young and CJ Stroud likely being off the board by the times the Colts pick at four, the team could be worried about the risks in the QB options at that point in the first round and may feel a massive money investment in Lamar Jackson could be more sensible than using a valuable pick on a high-risk, high-reward prospect like Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
Jackson is reportedly looking for a fully guaranteed long-term deal as he represents himself in contract negotiations with the Ravens and any other possible teams.