During and after last night’s memorable Christmas night win over the 49ers, some chatter emerged on social media regarding the fact that anyone could have signed quarterback Lamar Jackson to an offer sheet in March, and that no one even tried.
It’s technically true. But the failure of quarterback-needy teams to not take a second look at Lamar had nothing to do with making a given team more competitive. It had everything to do with advancing ownership’s not-so-subtle collusion when it comes to players, coaches, and pretty much anyone/everyone else on the payroll.
In 2022, the Browns turned the NFL upside down by giving quarterback DeShaun Watson a five-year, $230 million contract, every penny of which was fully guaranteed at signing. Multiple owners (including Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti) publicly complained about Cleveland’s willingness to disrupt the way things had been done.
Come 2023, the Ravens dared the rest of the NFL to try to sign Jackson to an offer sheet by applying the non-exclusive franchise tag. Any team could have put on the table an offer that: (1) Jackson would have accepted; and (2) the Ravens would not have matched.
Instead, one team after another made it clear they weren’t interested in the man who is now poised to win his second MVP award. Similar to the shunning of Colin Kaepernick, teams whispered a laundry list of false narratives to reporters, in the hopes of covering up the basic reality that the owners wanted to stop other owners from duplicating or expanding the practice of giving veteran players five-year fully-guaranteed contracts.
And it worked. The backlash to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam got everyone else in line.
What about the two first-round picks it would have cost to get Lamar? The Browns, in addition to the money, surrendered three first-round picks and three mid-round picks for Watson. The Panthers traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and receiver D.J. Moore for quarterback Bryce Young. Giving up a pair of first-round picks for a once and future MVP counts as peanuts, in the grand scheme of things.
What about the fact that the Ravens could have matched any offer for Lamar? Fine, make them do it. Make them pay more than they want. Put them in a cap problem.
Even though every owner will say they want to win the Super Bowl, there’s a bigger game they’re playing. It’s about controlling the relationship with the players. It’s about reminding them at all times who’s boss.
The Watson contract swung the pendulum toward the players. The lack of Lamar interest brought balance back to football’s version of the force.
Yes, anyone could have tried to acquire Lamar Jackson. No one wanted to do it. Because everyone wanted to be sure that the Watson contract would be an aberration, not a trend.
