NFL Trade Rumors: Lamar Jackson to Dolphins? Tua Tagovailoa’s teammate issues plea
The idea that Lamar Jackson has already played his last game for the Baltimore Ravens continues to become more likely as the 2023 NFL offseason plays itself out. The two sides failed to come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension, prompting the Ravens to place their non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson.
Apparently frustrated with the way the Ravens have handled the situation, Lamar Jackson recently announced on his official Twitter account that he has formally requested a trade to a new team in 2023. Many around the NFL took notice, including Miami Dolphins defensive back DeShon Elliot. He quoted tweeted the story on his own Twitter account with a simple hash tag saying, "Come to the Dolphins."
#Dolphins Safety DeShon Elliott is recruiting Lamar Jackson to come to Miami.
The Dolphins just picked up Tua's 5th-year option... probably wasn't an ideal tweet by Elliott. https://t.co/zwcXFzDRCD
Elliot was recently signed by the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 NFL offseason, so he is yet to appear in a game with his new team. What makes his recruitment particularly alarming is that the Dolphins already have a starting quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. Miami is committed to the quarterback they have, proving it by recently picking up the fifth-year team option on his rookie contract.
This is a bad first impression to make with his new team, especially considering they signed him to a "prove it" style contract. The Dolphins signed Elliot to just a one-year contract worth $1.77 million to give him an opportunity to see how well he fits within their team dynamic. He appeared to realize the tweet was a bad idea, as it was recently deleted from his personal account.
Why is DeShon Elliot recruiting Lamar Jackson to the Dolphins?
While DeShon Elliot barely has any familiarity with the Miami Dolphins as he was recently signed to the team during the 2023 NFL offseason, he does have first-hand experience with what Lamar Jackson can bring to the team.
Prior to the 2022 NFL season with the Detroit Lions, Elliot spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with Jackson on the Baltimore Ravens.
The two were teammates from the 2019 to 2021 NFL seasons. Their first year together was Jackson's dominant campaign that resulted in him winning the NFL MVP award. Jackson also helped lead the team to the NFL Playoffs in each of the first two years Elliot was on the team.
Elliot was with Lamar Jackson for all of his best moments with the Ravens. Hence, he may just be trying to recreate that success with the Dolphins, regardless of the fact that Tua Tagovailoa is their franchise quarterback.