The 2024 MVP race came down to a pair of candidates: Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Jackson, the star Baltimore Ravens quarterback, won the 2023 MVP award. Despite one of the best statistical seasons we have ever seen from the QB position, it was Allen who won Most Valuable Player this past season. But even Pittsburgh Steelers fans can admit that Jackson was screwed in the latest QB rankings.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has been slowly releasing positional rankings. These rankings are constructed from a panel of 70 NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. However, even after Jackson's miraculous 2024 season, the league still has him ranked as the fourth-best quarterback in the NFL.
"A 10-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio [10.3], winning percentage is insane [74.4%] and he's a leading rusher on any team he's on," a veteran NFL coach said of Jackson. "He's one of a kind."
But despite this endorsement and the fact that he's coming off the best season of his career, Jackson was disrespected in the 2025 quarterback rankings by the execs and coaches who should know him best.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should almost feel bad for Lamar Jackson after ESPN's latest QB rankings
To be fair, the names ahead of Lamar Jackson on the list are all exceptional. Because of his spectacular success, coaches, execs, and scouts still voted Patrick Mahomes as the best quarterback in the league entering 2025. This was followed by Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.
On any given year, you could justify the rankings for each of these players, but after the season Jackson just had, he should be closer to No. 1 than No. 4.
In 17 games in 2024, Jackson recorded 41 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions while collecting 4,172 passing yards. The star quarterback also led the NFL in touchdown percentage (8.6 percent), yards per attempt (8.8), adjusted yards per attempt (10.15), net yards per attempt (8.09), adjusted net yards per attempt (9.38), passer rating (119.6), and QBR (77.3).
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In addition to stringing together one of the most efficient passing performances in NFL history, Jackson chipped in 915 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry and earning a 56.1 run success rate.
Collectively, Jackson racked up 5,123 scrimmage yards and 45 touchdowns while throwing a mere four picks on the season. This helped Jackson lead his team to a 12-5record and an effortless playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Steelers fans have been talking trash on Jackson since he entered the league as a first-round pick in 2018. But now the disrespect has gone too far. Lamar Jackson is coming off a legendary season and is in the prime of his NFL career. It's time to give this man his dues.