Fans are eagerly awaiting the next NFL season and there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming campaign. Teams are working hard on recruitment and no stone is left unturned as each team is planning the moves they need to make in order to strengthen their roster ahead of the 2023 season. One man who could be on the move is Lamar Jackson and there are rumors the Indianapolis Colts could come in for the quarterback.
Colts Busy Clearing Space
The Colts have wasted no time in clearing space in their roster, which many onlookers believe could be to add Jackson. The Colts have cut quarterback Matt Ryan and traded cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Dallas Cowboys, creating a total of $17.2 million in cap space. The loss of Ryan means the last time the Colts started two consecutive seasons with the same man at quarterback was in 2015 and 2016, when Andrew Luck was in the team.
There is no doubt, the clearing of cap space means the Colts are in the mix for Jackson but the deal will cost a significant sum of money. There have been reports Jackson has already turned down a massive offer from his current team, Baltimore Ravens. This means he could be on the move but also that it is going to cost a lot of money to get the deal over the line. The Colts have generated plenty of cap space but will they use it to tempt Jackson to the Lucas Oil Stadium?
Trading Picks
Adding an experienced quarterback to the roster is never easy for any franchise and the Colts would have to trade at least two first round picks to sign Jackson.
Reports suggest the Colts are going to use their first round pick to sign a quarterback prospect in the 2023 NFL draft and doing so would make any deal for Jackson difficult. In addition to having to trade two first round picks in the draft, the Colts would likely have to make Jackson the highest paid player in the NFL, which is a huge decision. Jackson will push for a fully guaranteed deal and that would make any team hesitate when signing a player.
At the time of writing, there have not been any confirmed moves by the Colts to make Jackson their quarterback for next season but that could change at any moment. The question is, would the addition of Jackson make the Colts a better team?
Would Jackson Improve the Colts?
NFL fans like to bet on the outcome of the season before a ball has been kicked. Many sportsbooks are now offering free bets for signing up and the odds for the Colts to win the Super Bowl could be about to change if they sign Jackson. The quarterback would improve the Colts team and he would push them into contention for the playoffs. However, while there is no denying Jackson can improve the Colts, there are doubts over his ability to play throughout the season.
Jackson is only 26 years of age but he has missed a combined 11 games over the past two seasons. In the 2021 season, Jackson picked up an injury against Cleveland Browns in week 14 and missed the remainder of the season. In 2022, Jackson suffered an ankle injury in week 13 and missed the remainder of the season, including the Ravens’ Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. So, there are injury concerns and while Jackson, who was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 2019, clearly has what it takes to improve the Colts, his injury record could mean they look elsewhere.
