In early March, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson asked to be traded. In late March, he made it public. By late April, he had a deal in place with the Ravens.
During Thursday’s press conference regarding the deal, Lamar was asked to address what changed between asking to be traded and signing a new deal. He declined to elaborate.
“Today, we’re gonna keep it about the future,” Jackson said. “I’m not really worried about what happened in the past. I’m gonna keep it about these next five years. And keep it about what’s going on today. You know, it’s a great day.”
It’s clear that he was simply trying, when he asked to be traded, to get the best possible contract from the Ravens or from another team. At the end of the day, he got the best deal he could get.