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Lamar Jackson has openly stated that he has requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens, indicating that he may be leaving the team soon. After failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension, tension between the Ravens and Jackson increased, and they finally reached a boiling point.
Jackson claimed that he requested a trade on March 2, but the team is yet to accept any offers. Nevertheless, now that Jackson has made the situation public, trade talks may heat up in the coming weeks.
The New England Patriots have also been linked to Jackson, and owner Robert Kraft claimed that rapper Meek Mill had been texting him about pursuing the Ravens quarterback for the past few days. Here's what Robert Kraft said after Meek Mill requested him to pursue Lamar Jackson:
“That’s Bill’s decision.”
As stated by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick holds the ultimate decision to pull the trigger on a player like Lamar Jackson. Although the Patriots are not known for making such flashy moves, you never know what they have up their sleeves ahead of the new season.
Bill Belichick speaks up on Lamar Jackson's situation
Bill Belichick was also asked about Jackson recently, and the Patriots' head coach gave a straight-up answer to all the rumors. Here's what Belichick said after being asked about the Baltimore Ravens quarterback:
"I'm not going to talk about players on any other team."
Jackson's injury concerns have played a huge part in teams backing away from pursuing him, but there is no denying that the Ravens quarterback could make any team a Super Bowl contender immediately.
If a contract extension with the former MVP is reached, any team can acquire Jackson in return for two first-round picks. Now that he has stated publicly that he wants to leave the franchise, many teams can step up their interest in him. Both the Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts will be worth keeping an eye on.
So far in his NFL career, Jackson has played 70 games for the Ravens in five seasons, accumulating 12,209 yards, 101 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. He's also rushed for 4,437 yards and 24 touchdowns.
