Odell signing further illustrates the Atlanta Falcons had no shot at Lamar

Odell Beckham Jr. finally picked a landing spot on Sunday signing with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal. A contract that furthers the point so many are missing when it comes to the Atlanta Falcons and Lamar Jackson this off-season.

The Ravens were never going to let Lamar Jackson simply walk away and this move points to that. Signing Odell is all about selling Lamar on the Ravens and perhaps a negotiating tactic. However, with the franchise tag on Lamar and the ability to match any deal Lamar negotiates Baltimore has always held the power in this situation.

Signing Odell is proof that the Ravens still fully believe in Lamar as their quarterback and have absolutely zero intention of letting him walk away. While the Falcons are catching heat for a move they never could have made the Ravens are being allowed a free pass for not paying a quarterback they have built their entire team around.

Atlanta was an easy target based simply on the fact that Desmond Ridder wasn't a first-round pick and not many pundits were watching Ridder or the Falcons last season. This was more than enough to make the Falcons an easy target when it comes to Lamar.

However, the fact is that Baltimore has all of the power in this situation and always has. Letting Lamar walk away would be a franchise-altering mistake that the Ravens are far too intelligent to make.

Even if Jackson refused to play all season the team can simply put Jackson back in the same situation next year likely with a regression in value considering the quarterback taking a full season away from the game.

There isn't a path that Falcons could have taken that ended with Lamar on their team aside from constructing a deal that Baltimore couldn't match. A budget impossibility if the Falcons were going to build a roster and not simply tear down a team that won seven games to land only one player.

Baltimore isn't going to let Jackson leave a franchise that is dependent on the former MVP and the Odell signing is just further proof of that.