The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson lived through a familiar story at the end of 2024. They won the AFC North yet again with a 12-5 record, and Jackson was methodical in a 28-14 win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round. However, Baltimore fell short of the ultimate goal as they lost 27-25 to the Buffalo Bills and MVP Josh Allen.
Jackson controversially finished second in NFL MVP voting while passing for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns and rushing for another 915 yards and four touchdowns. With Jackson (28) nearing his thirties and star running back Derrick Henry (31) already past that dreaded age threshold, time is ticking on the Ravens’ explosive offensive core. The team desperately needs to add an alpha receiver to balance out its attack.
Bill Barnwell: Ravens and Lamar Jackson Need Tyreek Hill
On ESPN’s “Get Up“, NFL analyst Bill Barnwell was tasked with coming up with an offseason move that “needs to happen”.
His response? The Ravens should throw caution to the wind and acquire superstar Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill [15:30 in the embedded video].
“Get Lamar Jackson the best receiver he’s ever had in Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins, there’s been a little bit of drama there. Tyreek Hill says he wants to come back [but] also said he wanted to be traded earlier this offseason,” Barnwell said.
“Tyreek Hill is a threat they have not had. You want to stretch the safeties, not just with the running game but with the vertical passing game? Get Tyreek with the Ravens.”
As Barnwell referenced, Hill publicly seemed to request a trade following the Dolphins’ Week 18 loss to the New York Jets that consequently resulted in the team finishing with a losing record for the year. He walked those comments back later on, but it’s clear there’s some friction in Miami as the team tries to get over the playoff hump.
Hill led the NFL in 2023 with an impressive 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, but his production subsequently declined due to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s injury struggles this past season. The wideout managed just 959 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 — his lowest output since 2019 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hill is on a restructured $90 million deal with Miami that runs through 2026.
The Ravens could obviously use a player of Hill’s caliber. Second-year receiver Zay Flowers led the team with 74 receptions and 1,059 receiving yards in 2024. No one else on the roster recorded even 60 catches or 800 yards.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Offseason With PFSN’s Offseason Manager
Despite his less-than-stellar supporting cast, Jackson was still otherworldly this season. He finished first (by a considerable margin) in PFSN’s QB+ metric, earning a near-perfect 99.8 grade for his regular season performance. The Ravens’ offense thrived behind its dual-threat maestro, finishing second in PFSN’s Offense+ rankings (93.3 grade) behind only the wildly creative Detroit Lions (94.2).
The team certainly doesn’t need Hill to be successful, but a playmaker of his caliber could make the Ravens all but unguardable next season. Seeing as he’d also improve their chances of capturing another Lombardi trophy, the theoretical acquisition cost may well be worth the price.
