Speculation that Lamar Jackson could be traded by the Baltimore Ravens in the summer is not dying down, even with a season-defining game on the horizon.
The quarterback is in a race to be healthy for Sunday night’s winner-takes-all game against Pittsburgh Steelers, where the victor will advance into the playoffs. Jackson has been battling hamstring issues all season but a back injury kept him out of the win over Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
It comes amid a backdrop of speculation that Ravens coach John Harbaugh has had enough of Jackson and wants to move him on when the 2025 campaign is over.
The latest instalment in the rumor mill has come via The Athletic, where a report on Monday quoted an unnamed agent insisting that Jackson is going to be traded.
‘The biggest story of the offseason is going to be Lamar. That is going to be crazy,’ the report said the ‘prominent’ agent told them.
The report also quoted an anonymous NFL executive saying that Jackson not having an agent has contributed to a tense relationship with the Ravens.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens future is under intensifying scrutiny
Jackson is struggling with a back injury going into Sunday’s must-win game vs Steelers
‘The fact that Lamar does not have an agent is really a big negative,’ they said. ‘Who is talking to Lamar? Who is having the honest conversations? Where is he getting advice in terms of how to deal with these injury things? There needs to be a buffer there for that process to work.
‘A quarterback has all kinds of ongoing issues that other positions do not face. The top agents have experience with those things.’
But if Jackson is available, there would undoubtedly be a long line of potential suitors who would be thrilled to take the 28-year-old.
It comes after a report in the Baltimore Sun claimed that Jackson has been ‘falling asleep in team meetings’ after staying up late at night playing video games.
The report added that Harbaugh is ‘tired’ of Jackson and that the player himself would ‘love to play in Miami’, having grown up in South Florida.
The Dolphins are planning for a new quarterback to take the team over after head coach Mike McDaniel benched Tua Tagovailoa, around 18 months after he signed a huge $212million deal with the organization.
Jackson’s contract is set to make him the highest-paid player in his position in the NFL at a huge $74.5m next year but any potential trade would surely net the Ravens at least two first-round picks.
For now, attention is only on Sunday’s game, and Jackson’s race to recover. But if he doesn’t, he might not be seen in Ravens’ uniform again.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh is reportedly frustrated with Jackson behind the scenes
Speaking Monday about how he is faring, Harbaugh said: ‘It’s to be determined.
‘He’s coming off a very serious injury and he’s working at it. I saw him here today working at it. I think we’ll know a lot more on Wednesday.
‘If Lamar’s ready to go, he’s playing. That’s it. For sure.’
