Ravens' Lamar Jackson Still Isn't Tier 1 QB

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is still fighting for the respect he deserves.

Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) lthrows during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson has a long list of accolades to his name, most notably two MVP awards and a 58-19 record as a starter.

Despite that long list, it's apparently not enough to land him in the highest echelon of quarterbacks. In a survey of 50 NFL coaches and executives by The Athletic, Jackson landed at the top of Tier 2 as the fourth-best quarterback in the league. Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen made up Tier 1.

“He’s a fantastic dual-threat guy, he’s explosive, he’s dangerous,” an offensive coach told The Athletic. “This past year, with (new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd) Monken, I thought he took a big step and became a passer. To me, it was so different from the previous years.”

On the plus side, Jackson earned more Tier 1 votes this year (23) than he did in the past three years combined (20) and came oh so close to breaking into the highest rank. One such voter also believes that Jackson is being held to a different standard than his peers.

“I just think putting an MVP of this league in Tier 2 is being on some quarterback high horse of what we think it’s supposed to look like,” a voter who placed Jackson in Tier 1 said.

Jackson has accomplished pretty much anything one could ask for in the regular season, but his performance in the playoffs was predictably a sticking point. As much as it's beaten to death at this point, Jackson does have noticeably worse stats in the postseason, and his 2-4 playoff record leaves something to be desired.

“He’s a 1 with limitations for me,” a defensive coordinator said. “You can win a lot of games with him. When you watched it against Kansas City, he can’t pass when he has to. That is still true. But he is still a wonderful football player.”

This type of criticism has constantly followed Jackson, and the only way to shake it once and for all is to win a Super Bowl. Hopefully for him and his team, that comes sooner rather than later.

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