Lamar Jackson touched on why he put out a trade request from the Baltimore Ravens in the first place.
Although Lamar Jackson did request a trade away from the Baltimore Ravens, it was not a serious request and it was merely done to get the contract negotiation process going for him.
While Jackson would not touch on why he requested a trade during his first Ravens press conference after signing his multi-year extension, he did expound on it just a bit during an interview in-house with “The Lounge.” Given that Jackson represents himself, this was a means to create some inner turmoil, placate to the outsiders and ultimately get a deal done with Baltimore.
You can sense that Jackson is glad that the entire negotiating process is over with and done now.
Here is the entire episode of “The Lounge” where Jackson appeared to talk about his new contract.
Although it makes sense now, Jackson’s ongoing negotiating process was so beyond pulling teeth.
Lamar Jackson explains why his Baltimore Ravens trade request was a fake one
The most painful part in Jackson’s multi-year contract saga was how little perceived leverage he had in this, combined with how artificially inflated his market really was. Is he a fantastic player? Oh, absolutely, but the price point made it next to impossible for him to be realistically traded elsewhere. Baltimore using the non-exclusive tag also helped Jackson get a deal done as well.
Admittedly, Jackson playing out his fifth-year option last year was odd to say the least. For him to be franchise tagged led us all to believe that this thing may have been dragged out for another painful year. Thankfully, Jackson and the Ravens were able to come to a long-term extension so that he will play out the rest of his prime in a Baltimore uniform, just like all parties had intended.
Ultimately, Baltimore is where Jackson needs to be. He fits the culture of what the Ravens are all about. While it remains to be seen if he will be the one to guide them to their third Super Bowl championship, the Ravens know what they have in him, which is one of the most electrifying players in the NFL. As long as he stays healthy, the Ravens will remain a Super Bowl contender.
The trade request might have been fake, but Jackson and the Ravens both got what they wanted.
