Lamar Jackson coming to the Patriots is a dream scenario. I just wish it wasn’t a pipe dream.
How can anyone who has watched this team go 7-9, 10-7, and 8-9 in the three seasons since Tom Brady flew south not daydream about Lamar Jackson, Patriot, at least a little bit?
I understand why the Patriots probably won’t pursue Lamar Jackson to be their quarterback. Unlike the remarkable player himself, the reasons are not elusive.
A short list: The cost of two first-round draft picks to sign Jackson. The non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him by the Ravens is prohibitive, especially for a team like the Patriots who are trying to construct a young core.
Also prohibitive: Jackson’s salary demands, which are inspired by the $230 million fully-guaranteed outlier of a deal that the idiot Browns ownership gave the repugnant Deshaun Watson last offseason.
Jackson, being a professional football player and all, gets injured sometimes. He missed the last four games of the 2021 season (all Ravens losses) and the final six games last season (Baltimore went 2-4 in his absence, including a wild-card round playoff loss to the Bengals). For two years running, he hasn’t been able to finish what he started.
Jackson’s unconventional skill set — he’s the most electrifying running quarterback the NFL has ever seen and a quality passer, probably more adept than he gets credit for — also might deviate from what new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien thought he signed up for, though that is just speculation on my part and would be a staggeringly ridiculous reason not to go after him.
So sure, I understand why the Patriots probably — probably — won’t go after him. Cost in picks, cost in salary, recent injury history, style of play, etc.
I know these reasons and rationalizations. They are known, and they are mostly valid.
I sure do wish they would go get Lamar Jackson, though.
Am I alone here? Are you with me? How exciting would it be to see Jackson wearing a No. 8 Patriots jersey — bartered away from Ja’Whaun Bentley for a steep fee, of course — during the season opener in September?
How can anyone who has watched this team go 7-9, 10-7, and 8-9 in the three seasons since Tom Brady flew south not daydream about Lamar Jackson, Patriot, at least a little bit? Come on. Join me here.
My main reason to see him come here is the aesthetics. He wants out of Baltimore, and if he gets his wish, the team that acquires him is going to have perhaps the most athletic quarterback in league history playing at the pinnacle of this motivation. It would be so fun to watch a vengeful former Most Valuable Player, still just 26 years old, take on the league.
And this is supposed to be fun, right? We get so caught up in the reasons that the Patriots shouldn’t go after him — fantasy football, particularly the daily version, has made too many of us wannabe general managers rather than actual fans these days — that sometimes we forget that.
Winning is also rather fun, as you may recall from a certain two-decade run, and Jackson knows how to do that, too. No, his playoff record (1-3) isn’t stellar. But he impacts success — and he has had plenty — more than, oh, all but a half-dozen other players in the league.
Jackson is 45-16 in the regular season during his five seasons as a starter. (By comparison, Brady lost more games than that, with a 32-18 regular-season record, in just three seasons with the Bucs.) Over the past two years, the Ravens went 15-9 with Jackson, and 2-9 (last year’s playoff loss included) without him. He is the epitome of essential, and the Ravens are going to be reminded of that the hard way if he has played his last game for them.
Here is where I have to admit something. I qualify the notion that Bill Belichick won’t trade for Jackson with a “probably” at most references because I still have this inkling that it could happen. I’m skeptical that Belichick was “shopping” incumbent Mac Jones, especially since Pro Football Talk traffic chaser Mike Florio, the architect of that rumor, has wavered when discussing it in recent interviews.
But I do believe Belichick was furious that Jones dared to seek help outside of the organization when saddled with an inept coordinator and quarterback coach last season, and it damaged the relationship at least temporarily. Jones was practically sabotaged by the incompetence around him, and that’s Belichick’s fault, but the quarterback did not handle the situation well.
I do like Jones, but he does not have tenure here. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing an upgrade, especially since the current roster — with the additions of tight end Mike Gesicki and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on offense, a superb running back in Rhamondre Stevenson, and one of the better defenses in the league — matches up pretty well with Jackson’s needs.
The real issue is the cost, in picks and salary. The former could be navigated somewhat by waiting until after the upcoming draft to make a move for Jackson, thereby at least keeping this year’s No. 14 overall pick and kicking that payment down the road.
As for the latter … Jackson has all the right in the world to ask for that deal. He’s a better player and much better citizen than Watson. But he also has to recognize that long-term guaranteed deals are the third rail for NFL owners. They’d rather let Colin Kaepernick back into the league than allow what Jimmy Haslam and Browns ownership did to become the norm.
Jackson is admirable for at least trying to get what he’s worth. He should do that. Unfortunately, if he thinks he’s actually going to get it, he’s not reading the landscape properly. What happens if no one comes forth between now and July 17, Jackson’s deadline to sign a long-term offer, with the deal he’s looking for?
Perhaps he’ll eventually adjust his parameters just to get out of Baltimore. And perhaps … the Patriots will be in position to benefit.
Go get Meek Mill’s digits from your boss, Bill. Go get a quarterback who is going to get you those 18 wins required to tie Don Shula for the most by a head coach in NFL history much faster than the guy you have now.
We know. We’ve heard all the reasons. You probably — probably — won’t pursue Lamar Jackson.
But it sure would be a lot more fun around here — for us and for you — if you did.
And if you play it right, you might even catch him.
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