Patriots' Bill Belichick addresses links to Ravens' Lamar Jackson

During a Tuesday appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show," New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about the club being linked with Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson last spring. 

"There’s a lot of things that go on in the offseason," Belichick explained, as shared by Patriots beat reporter Dakota Randall of NESN. "Each player has his own story. But, look, in Lamar’s case … there was a lot of, I would say, there would have been a lot of moving parts on that one anyway."

The Patriots were among potential destinations mentioned regarding Jackson after his rights for 2023 were retained via the non-exclusive franchise tag. Greg A. Bedard of Boston Sports Journal reported on March 28 of last year that the Patriots were "not expected to pursue signing or trading for Jackson," and the 26-year-old ultimately put pen to paper on a five-year contract reportedly worth up to $260M (with $185M guaranteed) to stay with the Ravens. 

Jackson began 2024 as the betting favorite to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the ongoing season. Meanwhile, Belichick's inability to find a long-term replacement for Tom Brady after Brady left the Patriots following the 2019 campaign could result in team owner Robert Kraft parting ways with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach as soon as this coming Monday. Under Belichick, the Patriots will miss the playoffs for the third time in four years since Brady's departure. 

"But you know, I’ll discuss the players that are on the team, not the ones that aren’t on it," Belichick continued during the radio segment. "I mean, there’s a lot of players out there that were available. They’re always available during the offseason. We talked to some of the players, some of the agents and all that. But those are all … those conversations are on a whole other level. So, stick to the guys that are here."

One wonders if Belichick wouldn't be fielding questions about his future if Jackson was one of "the guys that are here" in New England ahead of Week 18.