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Lamar Jackson wants to leave the Baltimore Ravens. He doesn't feel that they've been fair in the negotiation process and they are unwilling to meet his demands for his next contract. As a result, he has officially requested a trade.
The future is murky on this for both parties. Many around the NFL, such as analyst Bomani Jones, believe the Ravens need Jackson way more than he needs the Ravens.
Which party will come out on top if a trade is reached? It's probably not going to be the Ravens. Here's why.
3 reasons the Ravens need Lamar Jackson more than he needs them
3) Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports
Quarterback is the most vital position to succeed in any team sport. MLB teams can get by without an ace pitcher, a star first baseman or a stellar center fielder if they have other good players. One of the five NBA positions can be bad and a team can survive. That's really not the case with a quarterback in the NFL.
Bad teams are made good by good quarterbacks, as seen in the Cam Newton-era Carolina Panthers. Conversely, the Jared Goff-era Los Angeles Rams were a good team made worse by their quarterback. There are plenty of examples of this.
The Ravens need a good quarterback and there are no other options. Free agents include Newton, Carson Wents, Matt Ryan and Teddy Bridgewater. The draft won't yield anything with the Ravens picking so low, either.
2) Lamar Jackson is a special talent
As mentioned, the alternatives to Jackson are pretty rough. They'd be banking on Cam Newton's health or Carson Wentz to play well after a few horrid seasons. Matt Ryan is as washed as they come. Jackson, however, is elite. Few players in the league can do what he does.
He's also done more with less than most other quarterbacks. He is a truly special talent and if he leaves, the Ravens will see just how good they had it. He carried their offense for years and without him, they'd be lost.
1) The Ravens have zero on offense
Outside of Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens have a strong tight end in Mark Andrews and a solid running back in J.K. Dobbins (who can never stay healthy). That's it. When he went down with injury and Tyler Huntley stepped in, the offense was more or less awful.
Taking it even further, Huntley is a free agent and may not return. Even if he was the starter, the offense would be bad, but he might not even return. Without Jackson, the holes on the Ravens offense become glaring and there are more than a few of them.
