Lamar Jackson trade rumors: Ravens QB says he's not an injury risk, wanted to avoid 'bad situation' in 2022

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Lamar Jackson
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The Lamar Jackson offseason drama saw another update late on Tuesday, once again coming from the Ravens quarterback's Twitter account.

Jackson, who recently revealed he asked Baltimore to trade him on March 2, has not found a franchise willing to pay him what he feels he deserves as he remains on the non-exclusive tag. One potential reason for that — apart from his desire for a fully guaranteed contract — is the fact he has missed five and six games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively.

Much has been made about Jackson's durability as he attempts to secure a long-term deal; the former NFL MVP missed the final five weeks of the 2022 regular season after going down with an injury in Week 13. He then ruled himself out of the Ravens' playoff loss, saying he was dealing with an "unstable knee," saying it was a Grade 2 PCL strain that was borderline Grade 3.

MORE: What Lamar Jackson's trade request means for the Jets, Packers and Aaron Rodgers

Jackson used social media to push back on the narrative he's an injury risk. He said the reason he didn't play was because he refused to do so at less than 100 percent, and didn't want to put his teammates in a bad position by "playing horrible." He also said it wasn't a holdout out to get more money from the Ravens.

A Twitter user then said the issue wasn't whether Jackson could play at 100 percent, but whether he was well enough — 90 percent — to take the field, and didn't. Responded Jackson: "90 percent is 100 percent to me I wasn’t there at all. So are you gonna continue to question me after this statement as well?"

Another user then asked why Jackson didn't travel with Baltimore to the Bengals game. The Ravens QB explained his knee "inflated" after he traveled to Pittsburgh in Week 14, after which he got the OK to no longer travel with the team in an attempt to heal his knee faster.

MORE: Lamar Jackson landing spots: Colts, Patriots & Jets among best fits after Ravens QB requests trade

Jackson remains one of the more intriguing players open to leave his current team this offseason, but the combination of his desire for a fully guaranteed contract and injury history has made for an unfavorable market — for now. It's clear Jackson won't sign with a team unless they offer him a contract akin to the one Deshaun Watson signed in Cleveland last year.

Unless he's willing to budge — or unless he can persuade a team to offer him such a contract — the stalemate between him and Baltimore will continue, as it has for the last two seasons.

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Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News.