Ryan Tannehill vs Lamar Jackson

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Happy Monday! We are almost at the finish line for the Ryan Tannehill Vs… series! I am writing this on a Sunday from an undisclosed patio sports bar, because the weather today is just too damn phenomenal to be sitting inside.

Today I explore the idea of the Titans moving on from Ryan Tannehill and making a massive splash move by trading for Lamar Jackson. There is a lot to unpack in this scenario, and it’s going to be a fun ride, but I want to kind of make my preference known.

The way I view the top quarterback options for the Tennessee Titans in 2023 is in direct conflict with the logic of this piece. That’s okay, because I can be an objective observer of the facts and logic, and have a “who gives a shit, let’s ride” mentality. It’s not my wallet, not my franchise.

In order, here is how I would love the Titans to attack the quarterback position, regardless of ramifications:

1. They identify their guy and trade up for a quarterback, trade away Tannehill

2. Their guy falls to them at 11th overall, trade away Tannehill

3. Trade for Lamar Jackson, Trade away Tannehill

4. Trade for Aaron Rodgers, Trade away Tannehill

5. Trade away Tannehill, Roll with Jimmy G as a bridge QB on the cheap

6. Extend Tannehill

7. Everyone else

However, you wanted me to put them in order from most probable to least probable, extending Tannehill would be at the top. See, I can be objective despite my personal feelings towards the QB situation. The reason I like to be objective is because more than likely the most objective, logical outcome is the actual outcome.

Before I start the deep dive, I kind of want to talk about Jackson as a quarterback in the NFL.

Where does Lamar Jackson Rank?

I am just going to jump off the top rope. Lamar Jackson isn’t an elite quarterback. You know how I know he isn’t elite? All anyone does is make excuses for him by saying he doesn’t have anyone around him. Let me explain how I view the term elite and how it ties into what I just said.

I don’t use the term elite in the watered-down version everyone else uses it. Jordan Schultz recently called Miles Sanders elite. Like, let’s get a fucking grip. If you’re not elite, it doesn’t mean you aren’t awesome or great, it just means you aren’t at the top two or three at your position. The top 1%.

Jackson had a fantastic MVP year. It was also a year where every other MVP candidate fizzled out, and the Ravens had one of the easiest schedules for a quarterback. I know that sounds like taking a lot away from Jackson, but it shouldn’t, he absolutely deserved the MVP that year when you look at his peers.

But what happened after that? Nothing much really, and people blame everyone and everything around him. That’s absolutely fair. He had a offensive coordinator who didn’t believe in his skillset as a passer, which in turned, put off free agent pass catchers. That leads to a lack of pas catching talent around him.

That’s all fair and true, but if he can’t elevate those around him, he cannot be elite. Patrick Mahomes, in my opinion, is the only truly elite quarterback in the current NFL. Rodgers was elite. Brady was elite. Burrow is on his way to being elite. Mahomes is elite.

That being said, Jackson has shown flashes of being a guy with elite traits and elite performances, they’re just not consistently there week in and week out. So, where does he rank for me?

He’s a top-10 quarterback, with top-3 upside, but even if he makes it up to that, it’s likely because the surroundings boosted him into the area. Now, I said likely, because we do not know who Jackson is in a system that is not so heavily dedicated to the run.

The other issue for Jackson is going to be his health. His health has prevented him from finishing the last two seasons and his team desperately need4ed him on the field. He is definitely MVP for the Ravens and would be the MVP for most teams he’s on, but that is just the nature of the quarterback.

The Ravens realize how valuable he is, but they also are playing with fire by not getting a deal done. Their hubris could be their undoing, which I would thoroughly enjoy. They would be smart to figure out a way to retain him, because the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

So, if the Ravens tag him, and then someone comes in to offer a trade, what does that say about his value in relation to Ryan Tannehill?

Ryan Tannehill vs Lamar Jackson: The Value