Dan Le Batard Confused: Falcons 'Don’t Want to P*** Off Desmond Ridder' For an MVP?
When reports surfaced that the Atlanta Falcons had ‘no interest’ in trading for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, many were confused about what was holding them back.
Sports journalist Dan Le Batard took to his radio show sharing that he could ‘understand’ people’s perception of the Falcons’ immediate public dismissal of a Jackson trade as ‘both collusion and racism.’
“They went after Deshaun Watson and pissed off their best player in franchise history in former MVP Matt Ryan,” Le Batard said in response to other broadcasters unironically saying, “You don’t want to piss off Desmond Ridder.”
Last year Atlanta drafted Ridder [a quarterback of mixed racial heritage] with its third-round pick after he led the Cincinnati Bearcats into the college football playoffs. Ridder finished his rookie campaign by winning the Falcons’ last two regular season games, posting an average Quarterback Rating of 99.2 percent, and went 2-2 overall as a starter.
Despite Ridder’s flashes of success down the stretch, the organization has remained noncommittal on labeling him as the starter entering next season, and with the back-to-back division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing their quarterback Tom Brady to retirement, Le Batard sees an opportunity for the Falcons to shake things up.
“If I put Lamar Jackson in that division, that team immediately becomes the favorite,” Le Batard said.
With Jackson sharing that he’s requested a trade out of Baltimore following both sides failing to agree to a long-term contract, it will be interesting to see if Atlanta has more interest.
Now that the former MVP’s price tag may be less than the two first-round picks previously required to compete with the Ravens’ non-exclusive franchise tag, it seems that the Falcons have a second chance at pursuing Jackson should they decide to move on from Ridder.
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