Lamar Jackson’s situation will be one of the biggest storylines of the NFL offseason. The Baltimore Ravens were unable to strike a long-term deal with their franchise quarterback, and his knee injury may have scared them away.
So, at this point, it seems like Jackson’s likeliest scenario will be the non-exclusive franchise tag. That will allow him to negotiate with other teams, and the Ravens will have the right to either match that offeror let him go and get two compensatory first-round picks.
Should that be the case— and even though they’ve committed to Tua Tagovailoa— some around the league believe that there’s strong mutual interest between Jackson and the Miami Dolphins.
NFL Rumors: Dolphins Can Only Make A Run At Lamar Jackson After The Draft
However, as much as Mike McDaniel would love to coach him and as much as Jackson would love to be back home, the Dolphins’ current draft situation makes it quite complicated to strike a deal:
(Transicript via Mike Florio— ProFootballTalk)
“But there’s a problem. The Dolphins don’t have a first-round pick in 2023, thanks to the tampering investigation and sanctions arising from the failed effort to lure coach Sean Payton and quarterback Tom Brady to Miami.
There’s another way to skin the cat. If Jackson doesn’t sign an offer sheet with another team before the draft, the Dolphins could sign Jackson to an offer sheet after the draft. Then, if the Ravens don’t match, Baltimore would get Miami’s first-round picks in 2024 and 2025.
Before the Ravens would be in a position to match or take a pair of first-round picks, Jackson would have to negotiate a multi-year offer sheet with a new team. He has been unable to do that, so far, with the Ravens.”
Again, we’re talking about a lot of ifs.But the Jackson-to-Miami rumors have been around for quite a while now, and the Dolphins weren’t 100% sold on Tua last offseason when they tried to pursue Brady, so there’s that.