WR Marquise Brown asked Ravens for trade, told QB Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens surprised a lot of people Thursday night when they sent 1,000-yard receiver Marquise Brown packing in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. The move came much to the chagrin, and apparent shock, of Ravens franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, but according to "Hollywood" Brown, the former MVP knew all along about the wideout's displeasure in the organization.

"Brown told I Am Athlete Tonight on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio that he did indeed ask for a trade, and that Jackson did indeed know," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote. "'It was just... my happiness,' Brown said. 'I talked to Lamar about it after my second year. And then after my third year, leading up to the end of the season, you know, he wasn’t playing. I let him know again, like, 'Yeah, bro, I can't do it.' You know, it’s not really on Lamar, like I love Lamar. It was just, you know, it’s just the system just wasn’t for me personally. You know, I love all my teammates. I love the guys. It was just something I had to think about for myself.'"

Brown was selected by the Ravens as the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and is coming off of his most productive season. Brown played in 16 games for the second straight year and ended 2021 second on the team only to All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews in targets (146), receptions (91), receiving yards (1,008) and receiving touchdowns (six).

The 24-year-old's targets, receptions and receiving yards totals were all career highs and he was on the field for 924 offensive snaps (80 percent), which were also the most of his young NFL journey. Through the first 46 regular season games of his career, Brown has compiled 195 receptions for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns on 317 targets.

Though Andrews is expected to again be one of the premier tight ends in the game in 2022, Jackson's current options at wideout with Brown gone show a very inexperienced group.