Lamar Jackson requesting a trade doesn't change the Atlanta Falcons off-season
By Nick Halden
The Lamar Jackson saga added another chapter on Monday with the quarterback tweeting out the news he requested a trade on March 2nd from Baltimore. Of course, this will lead to a whole new wave of speculation that the Atlanta Falcons are the perfect landing spot for no other reason than Desmond Ridder isn't a first-round pick and Jackson would bring back memories of Michael Vick.
A letter to my Fans
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) March 27, 2023
I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show towards me. All of you are amazing and I appreciate y’all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me. Let me personally answer your questions
The reasons for Atlanta to chase Lamar end there if we are being realistic. This is a franchise that just escaped overpaid contracts and is finally pushing through on the other side of a rebuild. The team has made an effort to build the offense around second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder not looking to buy a short-term contender but to build the most complete roster possible to open a long window of contention.
Going all in for Lamar is a move for a team that both believes Baltimore will let the quarterback slip away and that they are a quarterback away from contending. The reasons this deal won't work remain the same and are laid out eloquently by my colleague here.
While the Lamar tweet does amp up the speculation and slightly increase the possibility of a trade the reasons it doesn't work remain.
Lamar Jackson is a top-ten quarterback and would make the Falcons contenders in a weak NFC. However, Lamar is ready to be paid and would be given a deal that would end Atlanta's rebuild and any hope they have of building a complete roster and finally having an above-average defense.
That is a huge issue even if we are living in a reality that has the Falcons chasing Lamar and winning a bidding war if the Ravens were serious about letting their star quarterback walk away. Lamar's trade request will only increase speculation that the Falcons are a landing spot for the quarterback.
However, in reality, the issues with the idea of the move remain the same and Atlanta's front office will stay the course. With the team hovering around $20 million in cap space this isn't the off-season to chase a quarterback in particular one that is unlikely to leave Baltimore.
Lamar's tweet will send shockwaves through the NFL as pundits overreact and attempt to create a fit with the Atlanta Falcons. A fit that when you look closer still isn't there despite how loudly a portion of the media may claim otherwise.