Baker Mayfield named as possible Lamar Jackson replacement for Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens may have a familiar name in mind to replace Lamar Jackson if they're seriously considering moving on from their starting quarterback this offseason. 

In a piece regarding Jackson's future, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Jamison Hensley named pending free agent Baker Mayfield as a potential option for Baltimore. Mayfield played under new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken when both were employed by the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore's AFC North rival, during the 2019 NFL season.

"In 2019, Mayfield threw for a career-best 3,827 yards passing in his only season with Monken as his coordinator," Fowler and Hensley noted. 

Mayfield was previously linked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when it was believed they could hire Monken.

The Ravens are widely expected to use either the non-exclusive franchise tag or exclusive tag to retain Jackson's rights through at least the beginning of the new league year in March. That doesn't, however, mean trading the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player is completely off the table. 

"A couple of months ago, I would have said no way [that a trade will happen]," one team source told ESPN. "Now it feels like anything is possible."

Sources also suggested the Ravens and Jackson aren't all that close to signing a long-term agreement. ESPN and others have reported the 26-year-old wants a fully guaranteed contract that exceeds the five-year deal reportedly worth $230 million in fully guaranteed cash the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson last year.

"The Ravens, meanwhile, are balking at guaranteeing the full amount, according to team sources," Fowler and Hensley explained. 

The Browns acquired Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in July. Mayfield mostly flopped with the Panthers until the two sides parted ways in December, and it was reported the Los Angeles Rams were the only team to place a claim on the 27-year-old. 

The first overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft impressed during his short stint with the Rams considering he joined them so late into the season. In total, he appeared in five games for Los Angeles and completed 63.6% of 129 pass attempts for 850 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions across those contests. 

"I know I'm a starting quarterback," Mayfield said after Los Angeles' campaign finale. "I'm confident in that. And we'll just see what happens."

The Ravens aren't getting a 2023 Week 1 starter in return if they trade Jackson to the New York Jets or the Atlanta Falcons. Monken's relationship with Mayfield coupled with the signal-caller's presumed desire to prove the Browns wrong could make for an intriguing marriage even if it's one that begins on a short-term "prove it" basis.