Lamar Jackson’s five-year run as the Ravens’ starting quarterback has been so impressive—better than that, so special, in an era of dual-threat MVP types—that he and Baltimore seem almost inseparable. After the team lost in the opening round to the Bengals, a game Jackson did not attend while suffering from a knee injury, the dynamic feels different.
The two sides have long spoken of their appreciation for each other. However, now, with 2023 free agency on the horizon and Jackson without a long-term contract, the quarterback is giving more hints than ever of a possible split. Days after he publicly ruled himself out of the Ravens’ playoff game despite reports that he would be in less danger of being broke, the former MVP took to Instagram with an encrypted message About not taking the “good thing” for granted.
Hurt feelings don’t have to spoil a big money negotiation; In the most recent season, Kyler Murray landed a lucrative deal from the Cardinals despite a public falling out with the organization. And odds are that Baltimore will at least exercise a franchise tag — most likely the expected $45 million exclusive tag — to prevent Jackson from testing the open market.
But there are many scenarios in which Jackson moves on after half a decade as the face of the Crows. A team can use a non-exclusive tag that allows other clubs to negotiate with it, knowing that a pair of first-round draft picks will be guaranteed as compensation. Baltimore could also tag and trade Jackson, allowing another team to fill the QB’s bewildering but injury-plagued requests for a new deal, which would cost at least $45 million-$50 million a year.
If it’s already available, here are 10 of the most plausible suitors, plus five wild cards: