Pundit Says ‘Lamar Jackson Is the Best Football Player on the Planet’
The consensus is that there are four elite quarterbacks in the NFL today: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Patrick Mahomes. The order in which they are ranked by pundits varies.
The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz put Jackson at No. 1 in his quarterback rankings, but his praise for Jackson didn’t end there.
“Lamar Jackson is the best football player on the planet. … There isn’t anyone better at purely playing the sport,” Ruiz wrote. “At this stage in his career, his role in the Ravens’ run game almost feels superfluous. If Jackson didn’t log another designed rushing attempt in his career, he would still be one of the five best quarterbacks in the league. He’s grown into one of the NFL’s most gifted passers.
“Nobody’s better at layering a pass over the outstretched arms of a linebacker. And don’t let his effortless throwing motion fool you — Jackson can sling the football to any part of the field. He doesn’t need a clear platform to push the ball downfield, but his scrambling puts the fear of God in opposing pass rushers, who are afraid of allowing Jackson to escape the pocket. As long as that’s the case, Jackson will enjoy extra time and space in the pocket. But I’m not sure he needs it. Jackson is the NFL’s most efficient player under pressure.”
NFL.com’s Nick Shook also revealed his quarterback rankings, and he had Jackson at No. 2 behind Mahomes.
“With all due respect to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson should have won his third NFL MVP last season,” Shook wrote. “He outperformed his 2023 season – his second MVP-winning campaign – in every notable statistical category. Jackson is one of one and the linchpin of the NFL’s most prolific offense, a unit that returns 10 starters in 2025. He’s answered the doubters who didn’t believe in his passing abilities and should be considered an MVP contender annually until proven otherwise.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer polled 88 NFL insiders, including 18 general managers and 16 head coaches, and asked them to rank who they think will be the league’s five best quarterbacks at the end of the season.
Jackson was No. 4 for the second year in a row despite having one of the best seasons ever for a quarterback in 2024. He received nine first-place votes. One member of the panel did not have Jackson in his top five, which is absurd.
“Evaluators have had difficulty categorizing Jackson accurately over the past few years,” Breer wrote. “He’s ranked third, seventh, eighth, seventh and fourth over the past five polls, and has received a total of three first-place votes in that time.”
Mahomes was No. 1 in the poll, followed by Allen and Burrow.
On a side note, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and “Good Morning Football’s” Manti Te’o both picked Jackson to win his third MVP this season.