NFL Trade Rumors: Ravens put pressure on Lamar Jackson with alleged pursuit of Anthony Richardson
Lamar Jackson and Anthony Richardson's futures were toyed with on Wednesday as it was revealed that the Ravens have scheduled a meeting with the rookie prospect. In response to the news, Good Morning Football co-host Peter Schrager opened the door to the team potentially swapping out one scrambling quarterback for another. Here's how he put it:
"[It's a] big deal. You only get 30 visits. You don't meet with a quarterback if you have one in your security. You use those 30 visits to look at different positions that you might want to address. The Ravens, they have a lot of needs other than quarterback as well."
Big Deal or No Big Deal:
Anthony Richardson expected to meet with Ravens ahead of draft...
Is this a statement to Lamar? https://t.co/RfZwXYRp0W
He continued, explaining how the meeting was a message to No. 8:
"I would think that the meeting with Richardson is not only a statement within the building of, 'Hey, we've got to consider different quarterback options,' it's a statement to Lamar saying, 'Hey, we need to start thinking about contingency plans as well.'"
Will the Baltimore Ravens have a new quarterback in 2023?
Ravens evaluate expensive cost to get Anthony Richardson
As it stands, Baltimore sits 22nd in the 2023 NFL Draft order. Despite the quarterback class being seen as robust by most pundits, not many expect him to slide into the bottom 11 picks in the first round. As such, to get the quarterback, many expect that the team will need to trade up.
Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz said, at the team's pre-draft presser, that the idea of Anthony Richardson as a first-rounder isn't new to NFL teams: "I don't think he's really jumped up in our eyes."
Hortiz did concede AR's combine performance was impressive.
As the Carolina Panthers demonstrated earlier this offseason, moving up in the first round of the NFL Draft is not a cheap endeavor. Even moving up 10 or 12 spots in the draft could cost multiple high-level draft picks and thus multiple quality players. If the team takes those costs on, it will not be for a quarterback competition.
Sure, one might take place, but in the end, Richardson would be taking over and Jackson would be out the door when the dust settles.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Good Morning Football and H/T Sportskeeda.