- The Indianapolis Colts are the current +300 favorites to land Lamar Jackson in a trade.
- The Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions are next in the BetOnline odds board at +550.
- Jackson revealed on Monday that he requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens last March 2nd, or just before the team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him.
The Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit Lions have emerged as the top betting favorites to land QB Lamar Jackson if he is traded by the Baltimore Ravens.
Per online sportsbook BetOnline, the Colts have the shortest odds among the three teams at +300 while the Falcons and Lions are both listed at +550 odds to acquire the 2019 NFL MVP.
Jackson’s future has been a popular betting market at the top NFL sportsbooks in recent months. It became an even hotter topic on Monday when Jackson tweeted that he requested a trade from the Ravens.
“In regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd, I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens have 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 win the super bowl.”
Jackson’s playmaking ability has made the Ravens a perennial contender over the past five seasons. His record of 45-16 (.738) ranks 4th among QBs who made their debut during the Super Bowl era behind only Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Roger Staubach.
Last September, Jackson reportedly turned down an offer from the Ravens that had $200 million in total guarantees. There were reports that Lamar wants a fully-guaranteed deal like Deshaun Watson’s.
But Jackson has not talked about his contract since Week 1 of the previous season and has not talked to reporters since December 2nd, fueling speculations.
Colts GM Chris Ballard on Lamar Jackson trade request: "Anytime a special player is available — which he is — you gotta do the work"https://t.co/3bLTnyCD6Y pic.twitter.com/9cce6yHbSA
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) March 27, 2023
Colts to Consider Trading for Special Player Like Lamar
The Colts have confirmed that Jackson is one of the players that they will consider in their continuing search for their next franchise quarterback. GM Chris Ballard confirmed this on Monday during the NFL’s annual league meeting while calling Jackson a “special player”.
Ballard’s statement coincided with what Colts head coach Shane Steichen previously said. According to Steichen, they are doing “due diligence” on all quarterbacks available, including Lamar.
Indianapolis has not found its next franchise quarterback since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement in 2019. After starting Jacoby Brissett in 2020, the Colts watched big-name QBs Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan fail to live up to expectations.
Indianapolis missed the playoffs in the past two campaigns with the team having a combined 13 wins during that span.
The Colts have opened with the second-longest odds to win Super Bowl LVIII at +12500 odds via BetOnline, with only the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans having longer odds than them at +15000.
Indianapolis also has the third-longest odds to win the AFC championship at +6000 odds and is next to last at +550 to top the AFC South division.
lamar jackson on the falcons or lions would be arguably the best quarterback in the NFC with a good supporting cast and a good play-caller pic.twitter.com/yniezoF4bL
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) March 27, 2023,
Lamar Would be the Best QB in NFL with Falcons or Lions?
The Falcons are reportedly not interested in trading for Lamar Jackson. Atlanta signed Taylor Heinicke in free agency and told him that he will be backing up Desmond Ridder. Ridder played progressively well in his four starts but he is not yet a proven commodity which Jackson is.
The Falcons have $20 million in available cap space and they are in the bottom 10 in the latest Super Bowl odds boards at +7500.
They also have the third-longest odds to win the NFC at +2800. If they want to turn the franchise around now, Lamar may be the answer so until the team makes an official statement, don’t count out the Falcons yet.
Meanwhile, the Lions ended 2022 as the hottest team in the NFL and there’s no doubt that trading for Lamar Jackson would rev up the Motor City.
Detroit has nearly $25 million in cap space to make a deal work and they would open up another $20 million if they include QB Jared Geoff in the trade. Lamar would get paired with an exciting play caller in Ben Johnson and an impressive offensive line blocking for him.
The Lions are the +140 favorites to win the NFC North division, have the 4th best odds to win the NFC at +800, and are tied with the Miami Dolphins with the 6th best odds to win the Super Bowl at +2000. If the Lions want to be the best team in the NFC next season, acquiring Jackson would do that, at least on paper.
Ravens Place Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag on Lamar
The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson last March 7th, five days after he made the trade request. The non-exclusive franchise tag allows Jackson to negotiate with other teams and sign any offer he chooses. However, the Ravens have the right to match the offer within five days and keep Jackson.
Baltimore can choose to let him go and receive two first-round picks as compensation. If Jackson doesn’t receive an offer from any team, he will stay with Baltimore and earn $32.416 million this season. That amount would be more than the $27.519 million that he made during his first five NFL seasons, combined.
Three weeks have passed since Lamar has been under the non-exclusive franchise tag but so far, no team has signed him to an offer. Teams have until July 17 to sign Lamar Jackson to a multi-year offer sheet. That could change soon.
Aside from the Colts, Falcons, and Lions, the Dolphins (+800), Patriots (+800), and Buccaneers (+900) are the other team with odds shorter than +1000 to land Lamar.
The Washington Commanders are next at +1000 odds while the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans are at +1200. The San Francisco 49ers complete the BetOnline odds board at +1400 odds.
