Why Ty Law isn’t buying Patriots’ odds of landing Lamar Jackson 

Patriots

“I just don’t see them opening up that checkbook.”

The Patriots are currently the betting favorites to land Lamar Jackson if the Ravens decide to move on from the former MVP. 

But Patriots legend Ty Law is skeptical of New England’s odds of adding the dual-threat quarterback this offseason.

For Law, the most difficult hurdle for New England to overcome is the sizable contract the 26-year-old will command if he hits the open market.

“I think Lamar would be a fit anywhere he goes because he’s that dynamic of a player,” Law said Tuesday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show”. “But I can’t see Bill Belichick saying, ‘$235 million?’ I can’t see that one. Now, if he’s willing to take a short [contract], OK. Anybody would be glad to have Lamar.

“Hell, you talk about Brady going to Vegas. I bet you they’ll take Lamar, even over Brady, because of his youth, what he can do with his legs and his upside. So if he gets out there, any and everybody would be glad to have him, including New England.”

There’s no guarantee that Jackson will be available this spring, even if his relationship with the Ravens seems to be on the rocks.

Jackson declined to attend Baltimore’s first-round loss to the Bengals on Sunday while recovering from a PCL injury. He drew criticism from teammates for not playing through the knee injury, with running back J.K. Dobbins telling reporters postgame that the Ravens would have defeated Cincinnati had Jackson been under center. 

Jackson is set to become a free agent in March if the Ravens don’t either sign him to a long-term extension or keep him in place via the franchise tag.

But if Baltimore opts to not even tag him and search for a trade partner, Jackson hitting free agency means that a team will have to break the bank in order to add the skilled signal caller.

The Patriots currently have about $33 million in available cap space, per OverTheCap.com. But committing a significant portion of that cash to one player in Jackson goes against Belichick’s usual approach to the offseason, according to Law. 

“I just don’t see them opening up that checkbook,” the Hall-of-Fame cornerback said. “If he’s out there on the free agent market, he’s there for a reason — because of his price tag. It’s gonna take a certain team. And, from a track record and history, New England is not that team.

“But if he wants to do it, I’d welcome him with open arms. … Not saying anything negative about Mac Jones, because I think he has a lot of potential, too. But when you’re talking about Lamar Jackson coming to New England? That’ll be awesome. That’ll be an upgrade.”

If the Patriots are looking to overhaul their offensive personnel following a lackluster 2022 season, swapping out Jones with a dual-threat QB like Jackson fits the bill.

But for New England to carry out such a roster reshuffle, it’s going to have to pay quite the tab to bring Jackson on board.