John Harbaugh Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens Aug 11, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reacts while standing with quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during the game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Sam Neumann on

Whether it was a coincidence or not, Lamar Jackson elected to make a move against the Baltimore Ravens right as his head coach, John Harbaugh, was scheduled to speak with reporters at the NFL owners’ meetings in Phoenix, Arizona.

Jackson announced to his fans via Twitter on Monday morning that he had requested a trade from the Ravens organization over three weeks ago. Nearly five days later, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the star quarterback, which allows Jackson to negotiate with other teams who could then give him an offer sheet.

“Lamar Jackson’s announcement came at the exact time that Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh was set to speak to reporters at the league’s annual meeting,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted.

Why Jackson waited nearly 25 days to go public with this announcement is currently unknown, but the timing of events seems to indicate that he knew exactly what he was doing. If this was done strategically by Jackson, who currently represents himself and doesn’t have an agent, then it was a brilliant move on Jackson’s part. And judging by the social media reactions, the NFL world seems to agree.

The NFL world reacted to the brutal timing of Jackson’s announcement hilariously on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/_Eric_Robinson/status/1640368039362191367?s=20

[Adam Schefter]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann