(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Ravens might not have Lamar Jackson under center next season.
And while that might seem like a blatant mistake — because it is — it was one they had been preparing for quite a while.
According to NFL insider Dov Kleiman, the team tried to sign QB Baker Mayfield before he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the offseason.
Update: #Ravens offered QB Baker Mayfield a contract in free-agency, prior to him signing with the #Bucs
Mayfield declined the offer because he believed Tampa is the best opportunity for him to start, per @JoeBucsFan pic.twitter.com/NXJpNn7lyg
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 30, 2023
Mayfield reportedly decided to go to the NFC South team because it gave him a better chance to be a starter, but the sole fact that the Ravens were interested in him in the first place should raise some eyebrows.
Mayfield is close friends with former Sooners teammate Mark Andrews, and the Ravens’ front office has always had words of praise for him.
Also, there’s no denying that he would’ve been a big upgrade over Tyler Huntley as a backup quarterback, and Lamar Jackson’s injury concerns made it a logical signing.
But bringing a former first-overall pick who’s still young to a team that already has a franchise quarterback would’ve sent the wrong message.
The Ravens hadn’t done right by Jackson, placing him under the non-exclusive franchise tag and making it seem like he’s way too hurt to have an MVP-caliber season again.
He publically requested a trade, and some believe he’s already played his last snap for the Ravens organization, but it’s not like he has a ton of options right now.
As for Mayfield, this might as well be his final shot as a starter, so it seems like we’ll see several QBs play with a chip on their shoulders next season.
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