Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Commits to Desmond Ridder Amid Lamar Jackson Trade Request

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is in trade rumors once again, but Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith confirms that the team remains uninterested in a deal.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 28, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are continuing to stick by second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder.

At the NFL owners meetings, head coach Arthur Smith spoke to the media for the first time since free agency began and once again ended speculation on trading for Lamar Jackson by committing to Ridder.

“We expect Desmond to take the next step,” Smith said via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

When asked about Jackson and the news regarding his recent trade request, Smith neglected to comment, saying that he was only going to "talk about our own players."

Ridder has to be feeling the love right now. Despite starting in just four games last season, the Falcons are giving him the green light to be the starter going into 2023 and it doesn't appear that any red lights are coming. When a former MVP like Jackson becomes available and you're still the preferred choice, you've probably got a ton of stock.

Smith, along with owner Arthur Blank, have been incredibly vocal all offseason long in their support for Ridder, and by only signing career backup Taylor Heinicke to fulfill the same role with his hometown team, the job appears to belong to the former Cincinnati Bearcat.

The Jackson rumors will likely continue to sway towards the Falcons until the former MVP finds a new team, and every time it appears that the Atlanta brass will come to Ridder's defense.

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Published Mar 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.