Robert Kraft: Meek Mill said Lamar Jackson wants to play for Patriots

BOSTON — Some NFL stories, you can see them coming. Others, not so much.

In the case of Robert Kraft letting it be known that Meek Mill has learned that Lamar Jackson wants to play for the Patriots? That’s not a story anybody imagined seeing materialize Monday at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona.

Kraft spoke to the media on Monday, several hours after Bill Belichick did the same. Unlike Belichick, though, Kraft shared some inside information from a rap star.

Kraft and Meek Mill have a relationship going back years, with Kraft visiting Meek Mill during his prison stint and advocating for his release. Kraft is also a founding partner of Reform Alliance, Meek Mill’s non-profit organization that aims to reshape probation and parole laws in America. Meek Mill also performed at Kraft’s wedding.

So it’s not news that Kraft was communicating with Meek Mill. It is news that Meek Mill was distributing some highly sensitive NFL information.

Earlier on Monday, Jackson announced that he requested a trade away from the Ravens earlier this month. The team has since placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on him, and no teams have reportedly pursued the 2019 NFL MVP.

Kraft’s note that Belichick controls the roster in New England is highly relevant in this situation. But at the very least, the passing along of this very interesting tidbit is sure to fuel all types of speculation in the coming days and weeks, as Jackson seeks a new NFL home.