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Lamar Jackson has been locked in a battle with the Baltimore Ravens over his future with the team. He is seeking a massive long-term contract extension, but the Ravens have yet to agree with him on the details of the potential deal. This has resulted in the organization placing their non-exclusive franchise tag on their star quarterback, while he has also officially requested a trade.
While the trade request certainly implies that he wants out of Baltimore, he's reportedly still negotiating with the Ravens. Recent reports indicate that Lamar Jackson gave the front office a wishlist of superstar wide receivers he wants them to acquire in order for him to remain with the team.
According to NFL insider Michael Lombardi:
“I was told reliably by somebody who is involved that Lamar [Jackson] told [the #Ravens] in a conversation, ‘Get Hopkins and get Beckham, and then we can talk.’ And the club went back to him and said, ‘Look, we can't get Hopkins and Beckham. We just can't get both, we can't afford both. But we'll get one of them.’ And they got Beckham.”
Lamar Jackson seems to be taking a similar approach to Aaron Rodgers during the 2023 NFL offseason. Rodgers infamously gave the New York Jets a wishlist of players he wanted them to acquire before potentially joining them via trade from the Green Bay Packers. The Jets have begun to comply, but are still yet to land Rodgers, despite ongoing trade discussions.
The Ravens have apparently been willing to work with Jackson on what he's looking for this offseason. They recently signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year contract worth up to $18 million, fulfilling one part of his rumored wishlist. They will allegedly avoid trading with the Arizona Cardinals for DeAndre Hopkins, as the salary cap hit may be unaffordable for them in 2023.
Can Ravens afford to trade for DeAndre Hopkins and satisfy Lamar Jackson's apparent wishlist?
While the Arizona Cardinals are currently shopping DeAndre Hopkins in the trade market, his contract complicates things a bit. He's currently owed $54.5 million over the next two years. He also carries an enormous $30.75 million cap hit for the 2023 NFL season, the largest of any wide receiver this year.
The Ravens currently have around $4 million in available cap space, so they would need to make roster moves if they were to acquire Hopkins for Lamar Jackson. While they can also work with Hopkins on restructuring his contract to a more cap-friendly format, it's unclear if either side is willing to do so.
