Former Buccaneers QB Tom Brady Shows Fandom Toward Lamar Jackson With MVP Vote

The NFL legend was part of the reason that Jackson walked away with the MVP on Thursday night.

The NFL's MVP Award for the 2023-24 season was presented earlier this week after Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson earned 49 of the 50 first-place votes. While the honor wasn't unanimous, it still marked the second time that Jackson had been named the league's Most Valuable Player during his professional career.

The hardware was earned after he completed 67.2% of his passes for a career-high 3,678 yards with 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions while rushing for 821 yards and five more touchdowns. Jackson guided the Ravens to a 13-3 record as a starter and an appearance in the AFC Conference Championship.

The standout season brought Jackson more respect from an NFL legend that he's always looked up to in former Buccaneers quarterback and future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady. Moving onto the next venture of his life, Brady was one of the 50 media personalities who were provided with the distinguished task of choosing the MVP. The list also included former players such as Emmanuel Acho, Tedy Bruschi, Boomer Esiason, Rich Gannon, Dan Orlovsky, and Jim Miller.

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It marked a full circle moment for Brady as he got a chance to vote on the award that he won three times during his playing days. Some may even call it fate after Brady recently praised Jackson on an episode of his 'Let's Go Podcast' in January.

"Lamar, obviously I love seeing you and everything you've accomplished this far in your career," Brady said at the time. "You've bet on yourself in a lot of different ways and you got a chip on your shoulder and I've always appreciated the way that your teammates feel about you, I think that says a lot. That's what I've always realized, the respect of my teammates is what I always sought out."

"You've come a long way so really happy for you and love seeing your success," BRady continued. "You're the reason why people watch the NFL, because of guys like you and you've just had an amazing career."

The last couple of weeks have been special for Jackson as he's been vocal about his respect and appreciation for Brady in the past. He was clearly taken back by the amount of praise he received from one of the greatest players of all time.

"I appreciate that. It means a lot coming from you," Jackson replied. "That means a lot, real talk."

Though he's still chasing his first Super Bowl, Jackson will always be able to say that he never lost to Tom Brady between the lines. He's 2-0 against 46-year-old after leading the Ravens to a 37-20 victory against the New England Patriots in 2019 and a 27-22 finish against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.

In those matchups, Jackson threw three touchdowns to zero interceptions and added two more scores on the ground. Brady tossed two touchdown passes but was also picked off once in their pair of meetings.

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