Lamar Jackson announces trade request, will the Falcons be interested?

Lamar Jackson has officially announced, publicly, his intentions to join a new team as he says he is done with the Baltimore Ravens. It was something that we all assumed but was something that was never official. Now that his intentions have been made public, will the Atlanta Falcons change course and pursue the former-MVP QB?

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for every NFL team, minus the Ravens, however, the Falcons quickly made it clear they weren't interested following the Ravens' decision to place a non-exclusive franchise tag.

With recent development, will the Atlanta Falcons finally have interest in Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson is a special player, no doubt about it. We haven't seen a player like him since Michael Vick, and he was a player that the NFL had never seen—in other words, Lamar is limited edition 2/2. The Atlanta Falcons do not have an established quarterback and now there is one sitting right out on their front porch.

Not only is there a franchise player on your doorstep but there is a franchise quarterback who fits your offense perfectly, sitting right there.

When a stubborn player requests a trade, it ties the hands of the team. Lamar is done with the Ravens and would seemingly be willing to sit out the year if it comes to that. While the Ravens are saying they won't trade him, they might have to.

So, back to the question, will the Falcons have interest now?

The answer is probably not. The only thing that has changed now is the potential compensation and the confirmed fact that Lamar won't play for the Ravens.

It looks like this could become a sign-and-trade situation, which likely means the Ravens would want more than two first-round picks—the compensation for the non-exclusive franchise tag. Whether or not any team would give up more than that is another question.

Why do I bring up the sign-and-trade instead of just making an offer to Lamar via franchise tag? It is apparent that the Ravens intend to match any offer made to their QB even after this trade request. They have basically done nothing in free agency so that they keep just enough cap space to match any offer. Thus, the Ravens have their heels dug in and logic would reason that they, at the least, want more for Lamar than just the franchise tag compensation.

They may just tell Jackson that they won't let him leave for those two first-round picks but if he can find a team that will give up more, then they will trade him after he signs.

If we presume that the Falcons wouldn't sign him to the deal he wants and/or weren't willing to give up a couple of first-round picks, then they definitely aren't going to be interested now, unless Lamar lowers his asking price. Maybe, just maybe, the Falcons didn't submit an offer sheet because they were certain the Ravens would match it, making it pointless (no sense in doing all the work for the Ravens). If that was the case then they would likely pursue him now.

All signs point towards the Atlanta Falcons just not being interested. Not to mention, Lamar says he requested a trade weeks ago, so the Falcons might have known about this for a couple of weeks—a couple of weeks where they have done nothing to take a step toward Lamar Jackson.

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