Quarterback Lamar Jackson requests trade from Baltimore Ravens
BALTIMORE -- Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on Monday said he requested a trade from the team earlier this month after over a year of fraught contract negotiations.
Jackson said in a tweet Monday he requested a trade March 2 because "the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that's has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team."
Jackson made the tweets the moment Head Coach John Harbaugh stepped up to microphones at the NFL Owners Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, where an AFC coaching breakfast was held for media availability.
Asked about what he thought of Jackson's timing, Harbaugh said he didn't know.
"I'm not sure, I don't think Lamar keeps track of when the meetings happen and things like that," he said. "You might read too much into it."
Harbaugh reiterated as he has before that he wants Jackson as his quarterback, and that he has built the team around him.
"I'm sure that business would be done the way it's always done, you know, but for me - my perspective - you know, I'm getting ready for Lamar," he said. "That's what I'm doing in our offense. We got a new offensive coordinator, very excited about Todd Monken. We're in that we're in the lab right now, building the offense and putting it together, the terminology and the plays and things like that. And that's what you focus on as a coach."
Asked about what he knew about the trade request, Harbaugh called it a private matter.
The 32nd overall pick in 2018, Jackson signed a four-year $9.47 million contract with Baltimore.
He won the NFL MVP by unanimous decision in 2019. In April 2021, Baltimore exercised a $23 million option for 2022. The Ravens placed the $32.4 million non-exclusive franchise tag on the quarterback earlier this month.
Due to injuries, Jackson has missed 10 games combined the past two years and was unable to finish both seasons.
"You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I," Jackson continued in a thread of tweets to fans. "No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I'll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You'll See me again."
