Widely expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first pick of April’s NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders are now reportedly considering an acquisition for another Heisman winner instead.
‘There’s a feeling out there that the Raiders are going to make a play for Lamar – offer the first-overall pick in the draft for Lamar Jackson,’ Pro Football Talk’s NFL insider Mike Florio said in a recent podcast.
Jackson is coming off a disappointing season for the Baltimore Ravens, who missed the playoffs at 8-9 and recently fired long-time head coach John Harbaugh. But the two-time NFL MVP and 2016 Heisman Trophy recipient at Louisville is still regarded as one of the league’s best passers at 29.
Whether or not the Raiders pursue such a trade remains unclear, but Florio expects the team to do something big after finishing 3-14, with minority owner and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady expected to have a bigger impact in 2026.
‘Tom Brady feels compelled to do something,’ Florio said. ‘It may not work, but just do something. It doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything. Last year, it was just kind of like rearranging the furniture. This year, people are expecting him to do something big.’
Jackson’s future remains a question in Baltimore despite the remaining two seasons on his contract. Asked about trade rumors following the Ravens’ season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, Jackson was eager to sidestep the question.
Lamar Jackson still has two years remaining on his contract, as well as a no-trade clause
The Raiders had been expected to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall
Raiders fans have been envisioning a future with Fernando Mendoza under center in Vegas
‘I’m not even thinking about that right now, to be honest with you. I’m still caught up in what just happened,’ he said. ‘That’s not my focus right now.’
Jackson, who was taken 32nd overall by the Ravens in the first round of the 2018 draft, is yet to make it to a Super Bowl after eight seasons in Baltimore.
He signed a historic five-year, $260million contract with the Ravens in May 2023, which made him the highest-paid player in the NFL at the time.
This season he completed 192 of his 302 passes for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while rushing 67 times for 349 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
That contract could complicate potential trades given the amount of dead money Baltimore would keep on its books in the event of such a deal.
But if a trade is made, expect it to come after June 1, which would allow the Ravens to split the cap penalty across two seasons, thereby offering some salary-cap relief.
Crucially, Jackson has a no-trade clause, which means he can veto a move to any team he doesn’t want to play for.
