Why the Atlanta Falcons still aren’t a landing spot for Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson and the Atlanta Falcons have been continually connected this off-season through pure speculation and nothing yet concrete.  Atlanta has publicly supported current starter Desmond Ridder and hasn’t indicated they are willing to pivot away from the second-year quarterback.

While the speculation surrounding Lamar is understandable considering the quarterback’s talent level Atlanta simply isn’t a fit for Jackson. Looking objectively at the Atlanta roster the team has holes at nearly every position and badly needing depth on both sides of the ball and an infusion of talent on defense.

Why Lamar isn’t a fit for the Falcons is very simple, if Atlanta did swing a trade for Lamar Jackson they are going to spend both their draft picks and the majority of their cap space. Atlanta isn’t trading for Lamar and then going to be able to complete their roster. The team is trading away their draft picks and will have to reward Lamar with a record contract.

Jackson is only leaving Baltimore if the team is unwilling to meet Lamar’s contract expectations. In that scenario, the Falcons have to then win a bidding war for the quarterback likely sending at least three first-round picks to the Ravens and in turn around and give Jackson a record deal.

With a core of Tyler Allgeier, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Cordarrelle Patterson, and a top-ten quarterback in Lamar Jackson the Falcons would win a lot of games. But just as they faced in the Matt Ryan years come playoff time they will be beaten by a team that has a complete roster something Atlanta cannot build while acquiring Lamar.

Atlanta’s clearest path to becoming a championship contender is following the blueprint for what teams with Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady have done. Taking advantage of having a young talented quarterback on a rookie deal focusing on building a complete roster that makes life easy for Desmond Ridder and gives the team a chance to win every week no matter who the quarterback is.

Lamar Jackson in Atlanta would be must-watch every Sunday and put life back into Atlanta as a playoff contender. However, Jackson would be a shortcut to short-term success leaving an incomplete Atlanta roster with a clear ceiling and few ways to improve locked into a record contract for Jackson and with likely at least three seasons worth of number-one picks heading to Baltimore.