Ravens QB Lamar Jackson gets the last laugh after turbulent 2023 offseason

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had quite a roller-coaster offseason last year.

The Ravens faced a dilemma regarding Jackson’s future with the team, and they ultimately decided to place the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, which was set at $32.4 million. With the Ravens’ call to issue Jackson the non-exclusive tag over the exclusive one, they opened the door to any interested teams to touch base with him about a possible deal.

It was only mere hours later that a flurry of reports came out noting that five teams would not make a push to trade for Jackson. Among them, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on March 7 that the Atlanta Falcons "will not be pursuing" Jackson. It was also widely reported that the Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and the Miami Dolphins would not go all-in to acquire the two-time Pro Bowler.

It all worked out for Jackson and the Ravens in the end. The two sides came to terms on a five-year deal worth up to $260 million in late April.

In the big picture, Jackson ended up getting the last laugh over four of the teams that did not even attempt to sign him.

The Panthers and Raiders fired their head coach during the season. The Commanders parted ways with Ron Rivera on Monday. It was also on Monday that the Falcons decided to move on from their head coach in Arthur Smith. 

The Commanders, Falcons, and Raiders are all still on the lookout for their next franchise quarterback, while many have questioned whether the Panthers made the right call to trade up to draft Bryce Young last year.

Meanwhile, Jackson currently has his sights set on Baltimore’s upcoming playoff run.