NFL GM: Lamar Jackson Should Be 'All Over' Jets Radar amid Aaron Rodgers Trade Rumors

A lot of the buzz after the Baltimore Ravens used the non-exclusive tag on Lamar Jackson has been that NFL teams wouldn't pursue the star quarterback, but some think they're just posturing.

According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, "multiple high-ranking team officials pointed to the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons as franchises that virtually must explore that option."

One general manager couldn't understand why the Jets would pursue Aaron Rodgers but wouldn't have interest in Jackson:

"[Owner Woody Johnson] would be willing to pay Rodgers $60 million for one year, but won't go after Lamar Jackson?" the GM asked rhetorically. "That doesn't make sense. The Jets should be all over this. How could they not be? … This is one that's over all of our heads [as general managers]. This comes from the top. One morning the owner calls you and says, 'I want Lamar Jackson,' and your job becomes getting Lamar Jackson. Same thing with the Falcons. They have to meet with this kid and see what he wants. You have to explore it."

A few possibilities exist for Jackson's future:

• He signs an offer sheet with another team and the Ravens don't match it. Jackson would have a new home, and Baltimore would get two first-round picks as compensation.
• He signs an offer sheet with another team and the Ravens do match. Jackson would remain in Baltimore.
• Jackson and the Ravens agree on a long-term extension. 
• The Ravens and another team work on a sign-and-trade agreement and Jackson gets a new home.

One agent told La Canfora that he could imagine a team serves as a "chaos agent" and puts together an offer sheet with a "goofy contract structure" that would put the Ravens in a bind from a team-building perspective, thus making it hard to match.

That is easier to believe than the torrent of reporting that a bunch of teams weren't interested in pursuing the former MVP:

Alongside his 2019 MVP award, the 26-year-old Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler who has thrown for 25 or more touchdowns twice in his career and rushed for over 1,000 yards twice as well.

While injuries cost him 10 total games in the past two seasons, he's one of the most dynamic two-way threats in football and one of the game's most exciting playmakers.

It's hard to imagine how a more vibrant market isn't forming, though it's possible that teams are keeping their cards close to the vest. Jackson's contract demands might also have teams feeling wary of the cost, though a cool market could see him pull back on some of his preferences.

That's the gamble Baltimore has taken by allowing him to talk to other teams. It only takes one team to offer him an astronomical deal that the Ravens struggle to match.