The New England Patriots boast one of the shortest odds to land former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson this offseason.
Said betting odds came out mere hours after Jackson made it public that he had requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens earlier on Monday.
In talking to the media from the site of the NFL owners meetings in Arizona, Patriots owner Robert Kraft seemed to break some news on this front.
Kraft indicated that hip-hop artist and friend Meek Mill texted him a few days ago indicating that Lamar Jackson wanted to join the Patriots. Kraft’s response? That decision is on head coach Bill Belichick.
Lamar Jackson. The New England Patriots. Meek Mill. Robert Kraft. One has to wonder exactly how all of this went down behind the scenes. Talk about strange bedfellows.
What we do know is that the Jackson situation has taken a turn in recent weeks. Baltimore placed the franchise tag on the star quarterback earlier in March. In turn, he’s taken to social media to air some major grievances about his current contract situation in Baltimore.
Even then, Jackson disclosing that he requested a trade from the Ravens back on March 3 threw the NFL world for a loop.
As for Meek Mill’s relationship with Kraft, the two became close when New England’s owner supported the hip-hop artist’s release from prison years back.
This past summer, Mill was among those who performed at Kraft’s wedding. Just recently, Mill joined Kraft’s $25 million initiative to combat antisemitism in the United States. Mill will join Kraft in Poland next week to tour locations of concentration camps in Poland.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Lamar Jackson situation
Lamar Jackson’s fit with the New England Patriots
Kraft’s relationship with Mill notwithstanding, the on-field fit in New England makes sense. Young quarterback Mac Jones struggled big time as a sophomore for the Patriots last season. He’s seemingly in Belichick’s doghouse.
Acting as the Pats’ quasi general manager, this decision is ultimately up to Belichick. If New England were to sign Jackson to an offer sheet with Baltimore declining to match, it would have to give up first-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts. There’s also a chance that the Ravens and Patriots could work out a trade.
Lamar Jackson stats: 63.7% completion, 12,209 passing yards, 4,437 rushing yards, 125 total TD, 38 INT, 96.7 QB rating
Obviously, Jackson would be seen as an upgrade for the New England Patriots. Whether this means something comes to fruition remains to be seen.
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