Patriots

Should Pats Try to Acquire Lamar Jackson? Ted Johnson and Tom Curran Debate

Should Pats try to acquire Lamar Jackson? Johnson and Curran debate originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots seem committed to Mac Jones as their quarterback for next season, but should they at least explore the possibility of acquiring Lamar Jackson?

Jackson is free to negotiate with other teams after the Baltimore Ravens placed the $ 32.416 million non-exclusive tag on their star QB. The Ravens can match any offer and would receive two first-round picks if they decide not to match.

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Would Jackson be worth the price for New England? Ted Johnson and Tom E. Curran had differing opinions on Monday's "Early Edition."

"Instantly, he makes this team very, very relevant," Johnson said. "If Lamar Jackson was to come to this football team, I would kind of put it in the category of how I put the New York Jets right now. ... If Aaron Rodgers goes to the New York Jets, I think they instantly become division favorites and then Super Bowl contenders. I think the same thing would happen if Lamar Jackson comes here.

"If Lamar Jackson comes here, I just think there's a lot of things that we worry about that we don't have to worry about. Who's gonna be the left tackle? Who's gonna be the third-down back? Who's gonna be the cornerback? I just think a lot of those things that we worry about are not going to be as important if Lamar's here because he covers up so many things."

Curran, on the other hand, believes the price is too steep for a quarterback who hasn't been the same player since his 2019 MVP campaign.

"I think we're still hooked on the 2019 Lamar," Curran said. "And we should be, because that was his first year as a starter. Had 36 touchdowns, seven picks, he ran for 1,205 yards. We've never seen anything like it. He lost in the playoffs but he's followed that up with one Pro Bowl season since. Each of the last two years he's missed the last five games. This is a player who wants $ 40 million a year. Fine. You're one of the better players in the league, you're 25 years old, you should command that. ...

"If the Patriots are going to get in, they're going to give him $ 40 million a year. He hasn't finished either of the prior two seasons. He really hasn't had any kind of season that compares to 2019 since then. He had 16 touchdowns and 13 picks two years ago. I don't think he immediately turns your team into a Super Bowl contender any more than he did for Baltimore."

Johnson isn't the only former Patriots linebacker lobbying for the team to acquire Jackson. Rob Ninkovich made a passionate case for New England to pursue Jackson during a recent ESPN appearance.

Despite Jackson's availability, the Patriots appear more focused on building around Jones for his pivotal third season. In addition to hiring offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, they have improved the offense by signing tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

You can watch the full "Early Edition" segment below:

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