Jason Whitlock: Ravens' Lamar Jackson Has Hit 'Expiration Date' as Franchise QB
As the Baltimore Ravens face a monumental decision under center, Jason Whitlock is wondering why such drama exists.
The Fox Sports Radio host offered a scathing critique of Charm City free agent Lamar Jackson, claiming that not only should the Ravens move on from the franchise QB, but that their 31 NFL counterparts should follow suit.
"We may have reached Lamar Jackson’s expiration date as a franchise quarterback," Whitlock said. "I don’t think Lamar is ever going to become a great passer, and I think his days as a huge difference-maker runner are behind him ... They got five solid years of production out of Lamar Jackson, they got the excitement, they got his MVP season, they got all that and they got one playoff victory and no Super Bowl appearances. That might be as far as Lamar Jackson can take the Baltimore Ravens or any franchise."
Whitlock admits that it's not entirely the fault of both Jackson and the Ravens.
He indirectly credits Jackson for more or less going after an attainable big check after divisional rival Cleveland offered Deshaun Watson a guaranteed $230 million despite being "an embarrassment" thanks to numerous sexual assault allegations.
But he says that the Ravens are in a position where they don't have to reward Jackson for his result on the final scoreboards, especially with his recent injury history (missing 10 of the Ravens' last 22 games).
Escalating things further, Whitlock believes no team should inquire for his services, reasoning that a contract similar to Watson's in Cleveland or Russell Wilson's in Denver would be too much of a risk.
"I do not hate Lamar Jackson," Whitlock claims. "I’m glad that he turned into a terrific player during this five-year stretch but there are tough decisions organizations have to make. If 31 teams don’t want Lamar Jackson, I don’t think he makes sense for number 32 either; not at the price he’s looking for. I move on from Lamar Jackson."
He goes on to compare Jackson's career to the relatively quick downfall of the similarly-skilled Cam Newton, who is out of the league a mere six years after his downright historic 2015 season in Carolina.
Despite his supposed appreciation of Jackson, Whitlock also labels him the "common denominator" behind Baltimore's recent shortcomings, even if he himself admitted that the Ravens haven't always had Jackson under center due to injury.
So it appears that the outspoken Whitlock has made his decision on Jackson's fate, mincing no words about his potential NFL future.
Lamar Jackson, by the way, is 26.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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