{"id":188096,"date":"2023-01-16T12:24:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T12:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/will-the-ravens-trade-lamar-jackson-its-not-as-unthinkable-as-it-used-to-be\/"},"modified":"2023-01-16T12:24:02","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T12:24:02","slug":"will-the-ravens-trade-lamar-jackson-its-not-as-unthinkable-as-it-used-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/will-the-ravens-trade-lamar-jackson-its-not-as-unthinkable-as-it-used-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the Ravens trade Lamar Jackson? It’s not as unthinkable as it used to be."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lamar Jackson wasn’t with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night during their AFC wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Not on the plane. Not on the bus. Not in the locker room and not on the sideline.<\/p>\n

His social media accounts during an excruciatingly competitive loss were silent, as they have been since he raised eyebrows across the league by tweeting out an injury update Thursday.<\/p>\n

The absence was noticeable. The silence is loud. And now the future for Lamar Jackson is as opaque as ever.<\/p>\n

In some situations, this is how trades get rolling. In others, it’s how contract negotiations come to a head and deals get done. Either could happen with Jackson and the Ravens in the coming months. This ambiguity will make their union the NFL’s biggest story of the offseason, until either the franchise or the franchise quarterback (or both) step out and publicly settle what is developing into a quiet war over Jackson’s health and forthcoming extension.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake that business<\/em> what is happening right now: The Ravens are dealing with the frustration of expecting to have Jackson back in the fold for the postseason vs. a quarterback who isn’t going to risk a more significant injury when he doesn’t feel right and still has so much to lose.<\/p>\n

Seemingly everyone in the NFL is talking about some aspect of it, titillated by the ambiguity of the situation \u2014 or simply reading into the demeanor of Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh or the eyebrow-raising comments of Ravens wideout Sammy Watkins. It’s a small circus that feels like it’s about to get a whole lot bigger and louder, and more dramatic.<\/p>\n

As one NFL general manager texted late Sunday night: \u201cFeels good to have [our quarterback\u2019s] deal done!\u201d<\/p>\n

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