Thirty-one NFL teams passed on Lamar Jackson in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens took him with the last pick of the first round, a somewhat shocking turn of events, given his talents and résumé.
Jackson was doubted early in his career. They wanted him to switch positions and play running back, but he silenced his critics one by one eventually. Or at least, that's what we thought until Tuesday afternoon.
Now, it seems like NFL teams are hesitant and having second thoughts about him again. And according to ESPN's Jeff Darlington, we can add the Miami Dolphins to the list of teams not interested in trading for him.
NFL News: Miami Dolphins Won't Pursue Lamar Jackson
(Transcript via ProFootballTalk)
"Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports that the Dolphins will not be pursuing Jackson this offseason. Reports have also put the Falcons and Panthers out of the mix for Jackson, who received the non-exclusive franchise tag from the Ravens on Tuesday.
(...)
The Dolphins do not currently have a 2023 first-round pick, so they would not be able to negotiate a deal with Jackson under those parameters until after this year’s draft.
While a recent report said the Dolphins will consider all options at the position, Darlington reports extends to saying that the Dolphins will not pursue any other starting quarterbacks this offseason and that head coach Mike McDaniel believes Tua Tagovailoa 'is the perfect fit for his system.'"
Jackson had been tied to the Dolphins for quite a while now, but Tua is coming off the best season of his career and had a promising first year under coach Mike McDaniel, so this doesn't come as a total surprise.
Even so, it's still shocking to see that multiple teams won't even try to trade for the former MVP, who's perhaps one of the most impactful players in the league, not to mention the ultimate dual-threat weapon.
