We’re entering year eight of the Lamar Jackson era with the Baltimore Ravens, and we’re no closer to finding harmony about how he should be viewed. Few agree about where he ranks, and at this point, it seems that will always be the case.

Two MVP trophies didn’t settle the argument, so what makes anyone think that will change if he wins a Super Bowl? Has anyone seen how the football world treats Jalen Hurts?

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Sure, we’ll keep running on this hamster wheel. We’ll discuss these rankings all summer and continue those conversations well into the regular season. ESPN got off to a head start. Unless you’ve been busy, we’re going to assume you’ve already seen Jeremy Fowler’s recent quarterback ranking.

Continuing his series after speaking with NFL executives, coaches, and team scouts, pro football’s best signal-callers took center stage, and Jackson landed in fourth place on his list.

Ranked ahead of him are Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. We’d probably place him after Mahomes. That’s just us, but in doing so, we also realize most would say the opinion is slanted. That being said, we sought the opinion of national voices. Some of whom don’t approve of Lamar Jackson’s ranking any more than the rest of us.

Ben Solak vehemently disagrees with ESPN’s recent QB ranking.

Let this be a lesson to you all. Theories that Lamar Jackson is undervalued aren’t simply the theories of Ravens fans and Baltimore media. Ben Solak, an NFL analyst at ESPN, also disagrees with Lamar Jackson’s ranking.

“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. He’s one of a kind.”

Those were the words of a veteran NFL head coach polled during Jeremy Fowler’s ranking. You heard that right. A 10-1 TD-to-interception ratio… That is indeed insane. Who’s doing that?

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Jackson needs to win and win big during the postseason. Those theories are well-documented, but that same argument can be made about most of the guys on this list. Only Patrick Mahomes (ranked first), Matthew Stafford (sixth), and Jalen Hurts (ninth) have won Super Bowls.

Year eight approaches. We’re expecting big things. Jackson may never receive the league-wide respect that he deserves, but such is the case for the best NFL quarterbacks. Varying theories are sometimes part of the deal.

The eyeball test wins every time, and if we knew nothing about Baltimore’s QB1 and watched him operate, we’d all acknowledge that he’s special. He threw for over 4,100 yards and 41 TDs. He ran for 915 yards and added four more. He led the league in passer rating (119.6) and QBR (77.3). Yes, anything other than the second spot on anyone’s QB ranking is debatable.

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This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Lamar Jackson earns validation amid ranking backlash