The Ravens’ journey from trade request to MVP was described by Lamar Jackson.
Baltimore — Lamar Jackson’s choice as the league’s Most Valuable Player at Thursday’s NFL Honors was the most likely choice. For the past six weeks, there has been much expectation that 27-year-old Jackson will take the field and become the league’s youngest two-time MVP since the merger.
However, it could be easy to forget just how far away this was formerly believed to be.
The contract negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens reached a low point on March 2, when the team’s quarterback sent a message to general manager Eric DeCosta that would prevent him from attending the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Jackson’s journey from facing divorce from the Ravens to being their best player in the NFL in just 11 months was a difficult one marked by a lesson from Ray Lewis, a pivotal moment at a movie theater, and help from a quarterback who plays two hours away on the highway.
Last month, DeCosta stated, “We just stayed the course and stayed positive.” “I thought there would eventually be a chance for us to kind of come to an understanding, and happily, we were able to do so just before the draft.
“I think there were several things along the way that all worked in our favor.”
A few hours prior to the start of the draft on April 27, Jackson and Baltimore agreed on a five-year, $260 million contract. In the regular season, he emerged as the league’s greatest player on the most formidable team, leading the Ravens to a 13-4 record. Jackson’s problems, meanwhile, returned in the postseason as the Ravens fell short against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, resulting in a 2-4 playoff record.
Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce stated, “There’s definitely times when, especially when you see the trade request, that you’re like, ‘Oh shoot,’ and there’s a slight panic.” “Thankfully, that’s all behind us.”
Five days following Jackson’s request for a trade, he was assigned a nonexclusive franchise tag by Baltimore instead of the anticipated exclusive one. Jackson could now negotiate a contract with other teams without restriction
It looked like Baltimore was taking a big chance from the outside. The team leader of the Ravens might be gone.
From within the Ravens’ stadium, this was not a novel approach. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis was allowed to test free agency for the first time in his career by Baltimore in 2009, and he eventually signed back with the Ravens.
“I learned this from Ozzie [Newsome, former Ravens GM],” DeCosta stated. “Sometimes it’s good for the player to get out and kind of get a sense for what other people think about him or what his market value might be.”
Similar to Lewis’s situation fourteen years prior, Jackson was not signed by any major organizations. Only the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders showed a slight interest in Jackson, according to sources who spoke with ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Neither team came close to putting Jackson on an offer sheet that Baltimore would have been able to match.
The Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo in place of trying to acquire Jackson, and the Panthers traded up to select Bryce Young with the first overall pick. Las Vegas and Carolina both finished with losing records.
Jackson’s injury history following his inability to complete the 2021 and 2022 seasons, his high asking price, and the belief that the Ravens would match any offer sheet were the factors working against him. Ultimately, just two teams—the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers—made it to the postseason out of the eight that either drafted or signed a free agent quarterback prior to the NFL season’s opening week.
