Arthur Blank on Falcons Not Pursuing Lamar Jackson: I Don't Think It Was a Mistake

Perhaps the Atlanta Falcons would be preparing for the playoffs Monday instead of dealing with the fallout of firing head coach Arthur Smith if they pursued Lamar Jackson this past offseason, but team owner Arthur Blank doesn't seem to have many regrets.

"I don't think so," he told reporters when asked if his team made a mistake not pursuing Jackson after the Baltimore Ravens placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on the quarterback.

Blank pointed to cap space concerns and questions about whether the Falcons would have been able to land him while adding, "it's not a criticism of Lamar."

While Blank didn't say so publicly, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Falcons and a number of teams now regret failing to pursue Jackson.

Given the nature of the nonexclusive franchise tag, teams could have made an offer and landed the quarterback for the money and two first-round draft picks if the Ravens decided not to match it.

Perhaps the Ravens ultimately would have matched it, but the chance was there to go after a franchise quarterback who is now just 27 years old with a resume that includes a league MVP. It might include a second one after this season, as he completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 821 yards and five scores on the ground.

Baltimore finished with the No. 1 seed in the AFC at 13-4.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported last month the collusion grievance the NFL Players Association filed in November 2022 regarding Jackson is still pending. The NFLPA alleged teams did not want to offer "certain quarterbacks" fully-guaranteed deals after the Cleveland Browns did so with Deshaun Watson in March 2022.

ESPN's Adam Schefter also said in a reply to NFL Network's Rich Eisen that no team even approached the Ravens about Jackson:

The Falcons finished 7-10 and were eliminated in Week 18 of the season. They received inconsistent quarterback play from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, which held back a team with playmakers such as Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.

It likely isn't difficult for Atlanta fans to imagine how things would have unfolded differently if Jackson was under center.