Chargers weren’t interested in Lamar Jackson as a quarterback

Remember all of that noise around draft time about how the Los Angeles Chargers could be looking at Lamar Jackson as the successor to Philip Rivers? There were even mock drafts that had the Bolts taking him with the No. 17 overall selection?

That was either greatly overstated, or a clever smokescreen from the Chargers’ camp.

During a recent appearance on “The Lounge” podcast, Jackson revealed that it was a scout from the Chargers who asked him to try out as a wide receiver. He also claimed that was the reason he didn’t participate in the 40-yard dash.

Jackson went on to be the last pick of the first round by the Baltimore Ravens, a team that traded back into the round to grab him. The Ravens intend to play him at quarterback.

Many fans and analysts thought that this would be the year the team selected a guy to mold behind Rivers, who has started every game at quarterback for the team since 2006. Jackson was perhaps the most popular choice for the team to select for that role.

Jackson had been steadfast leading up to the draft that he was going to play quarterback at the next level and nothing more. Apparently, the Chargers saw him at another position.

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During the podcast, he said:

“It was a Chargers scout … was the one who told me about it. Like, he was the first one to come to me about it, and I’m like, ‘What?” He caught me off guard with it. I even tried to make a face for him like, “What?” I’m thinking he’s trying to be funny, but he just kept going with it, so it just became blown out of proportion. That was the first time I heard it.”

Of course, the Chargers didn’t draft a quarterback at all, instead signing veteran Geno Smith about a month before the selection process. That lends to the fact that the team is quite confident in the guy they have though, as it should be.

The Chargers will get to see Jackson up close and personal when the two teams meet in Week 16 just two days before Christmas. If he’s been named the starting quarterback for the Ravens by that time, Jackson may have a little extra motivation for that game.