Lamar Jackson Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons reportedly considered Lamar Jackson before naming QB1

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/31/23

The Atlanta Falcons didn't name unproven 2022 third-round draft pick Desmond Ridder their starting quarterback without at least considering a different option.

As shared by Cory Woodroof of For The Win, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith revealed during a Friday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" that Atlanta talked about making a move for disgruntled Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson.

"We’re always going to look to add at every position," Smith said during the segment. "Absolutely, we did [talk about Jackson]. You’ve got to know what’s going on, see the trends and see what’s available. So those are everyday conversations."

Yes, the @AtlantaFalcons talked about Lamar Jackson but as Arthur Smith told us, they're confident in their plan going forward with Desmond Ridder:#NFL #NFLFreeAgency #NFLDraft @Lj_era8 @desmondridder #DirtyBirds pic.twitter.com/vccKL8pKdW
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 31, 2023

After Smith confirmed earlier this week that Ridder would be the team's QB1 heading into springtime workouts, Falcons owner Arthur Blank essentially shot down the idea of pursuing Jackson and said that "there is some concern about whether or not (Jackson) can play his style of game" for many years.

The Ravens retained Jackson's rights via the non-exclusive franchise tag, and he announced Monday that he requested a trade on March 2.

Much has been made about the type of contract Jackson allegedly wishes to sign with either the Ravens or a different organization. On Thursday, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the one-time NFL Most Valuable Player "is insisting on getting more fully guaranteed money than the" fully guaranteed $230M Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns after he was traded by the Houston Texans last March.

Jackson can negotiate with other teams on the non-exclusive franchise tag, but Baltimore can either match any offer sheet he signs or accept two first-round draft picks as compensation. It's widely thought Baltimore will match any offer for Jackson and that he could threaten to sit out rather than play for the Ravens on the franchise tag.

Ridder, meanwhile, has just four regular-season starts and appearances on his career résumé. As a rookie, he completed 73-of-115 passes (63.5%) for 708 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Jackson undeniably would be an upgrade over what Ridder was this past fall. It seems, though, that the Falcons would rather wait to see what they have in the 23-year-old than go all-in on a quarterback who missed 11 games (playoffs included) over the previous two campaigns due to injury setbacks.

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