According to Adam Schefter, the Raiders and Panthers were the only two teams to inquire about Ravens QB Lamar Jackson this offseason when he was technically available.
However, Schefter says neither team got very far and neither showed a lot of serious interest.
In the end, despite Jackson being available for any team to sign to an offer sheet under the non-exclusive franchise tag, the entire league passed and Jackson re-signed with the Ravens.
He’s now one of the leading candidates to win MVP.
Schefter notes in conversations with league sources, many have shared surprise that a more serious pursuit of Jackson wasn’t attempted. Others have cited injury concerns about Jackson, who missed the end of both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, or a belief that Baltimore would match any offer sheet made for Jackson.
But Schefter notes there is still an ongoing NFLPA investigation into whether there was collusion to prevent Jackson from securing the fully guaranteed deal he was reportedly seeking.
Jackson, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Ravens back in 2018. He played out the fourth year of his four-year, $9,471,652 contract that included a $5,968,472 signing bonus.
The Ravens picked up Jackson’s fifth-year option that cost them $23 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season. He was due to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when the Ravens used the non-exclusive franchise tag at a cost of $32.3 million fully guaranteed.
Baltimore later signed Jackson to a five-year, $260 million extension.
In 2023, Jackson has appeared in 15 games for the Ravens and completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also rushed for 786 yards and five touchdowns.
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