Former Executive Says Ravens' Lamar Jackson Will Lead NFL in Passing

Former Executive Says Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Will Lead NFL in Passing originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has long been one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. With one-of-one athleticism, an uncanny ability to find explosive plays out of structure, and tantalizing accuracy over the middle of the field, he is thoroughly among the pantheon of the NFL’s elite.

That lends itself to hype and industry-wide respect from fans, analysts, players, and coaches. No serious person is doubting a two-time MVP at the peak of his powers. But it is important to tether expectations for his performance.

Former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson dropped his bold take about the Ravens’ superstar on “Good Morning Football,” suggesting that Jackson will lead the NFL in passing this season.

“He’s got Zay Flowers, he’s got [DeAndre] Hopkins, he’s got [Mark] Andrews, he’s got [Isaiah] Likely, he’s got [Offensive Coordinator] Todd Monken cooking up plays for him,” Robinson said. “He’s been an MVP in the past. They’re knocking on the door of going to a Super Bowl.”

Robinson is right that Baltimore is well equipped to improve on offense and that a Super Bowl is very much within the range of outcomes. Leading the league in passing yards, though, feels like a bridge too far for Jackson – and that’s probably for the best.

Since Jackson’s meteoric rise in 2019, the following quarterbacks have been named the NFL’s passing champion:

Winston’s 30-touchdown, 30-interception season was as productive as it was chaotic, a statistical anomaly defined by unrelenting aggression. Watson led the league on a 4-12 team that needed to find explosive plays to feign competitiveness. Brady and Mahomes are inner-circle Hall-of-Fame-level pocket passers. Tagovailoa’s offense supplanted the run game by funneling passers to the sport’s most explosive receiving corps, and Burrow’s defense demanded he perform like an MVP for much of the season.

Jackson is never going to produce in the risk-laden ways that Winston did. The Ravens, and by extension, their defense, should be good enough to block the paths Watson and Burrow took to the top of the leaderboard.

As far as Brady and Mahomes go, Jackson is similarly potent, but does so much more of his work on the ground. That’s what makes Baltimore’s offense special, and not an indictment of his talent. If Jackson had to stand in the pocket and deliver, maybe a 4,500-yard season would be in store. But with how important his legs are to creating explosive plays that’s not going anywhere any time soon.

Further, Baltimore, by design, throws the ball infrequently. According to nfelo, the Ravens have posted a negative pass rate over expectation in every year since Jackson became the full-time starter.

With about half the league boasting better odds at various sportsbooks, Jackson is a longshot to make good on Robinson’s prediction. We won’t put anything past the NFL’s most electric player, but Jackson’s success on the ground and the scoreboard make passing titles a race for other quarterbacks to run.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.

Former Executive Says Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Will Lead NFL in Passing

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