Unless you live under a rock, you’re aware of the huge news that broke this weekend. It was highly controversial, with many theories about how it all went down. But in the end, there really was no option other than to put Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford as the #6 and #5 quarterbacks on my Top-32 list.
The #4 spot is reserved for the reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson. He’s a completely different type of player than just about every quarterback in the league. He does things on a football field that we really haven’t seen from the position throughout the history of the game, in fact:
It’s not hyperbole to say that either. Jackson holds the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206 (despite missing a game that season). He’s 4th in NFL history in career rushing yards by a QB. He’ll have that record either this season or next with just 851 more yards on the ground.
Jackson is also one of just 9 quarterbacks to win multiple MVP awards since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. That list includes Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Kurt Warner, and Patrick Mahomes.
And he’s only 27 years old.
One of the best parts of watching Lamar Jackson is that he seems to get better as a passer each year. From his ball placement, to his touch, to his pocket presence, to his ability to process, Jackson is a dramatically improved player from when he came into the league in 2018:
Now let’s be honest; much of his success through the air is a result of the threat of his legs. Defenses have to honor Jackson’s running ability on RPO’s and play-action, which can help open things up in the passing game.
Defenses often use spies to contain Jackson, but that takes a player out of the pass rush or the coverage.
The pass rush itself is often slowed down as well since defensive coordinators like to use mush-rushes that prioritize keeping Jackson in front of them instead of attacking.
Coverage choices can also get impacted by the threat of Jackson’s legs as some teams will play more vanilla zone coverages that allow defenders to keep their eyes on him at all times.
And when Jackson does scramble, defenders in conflict have to prioritize stopping him as a runner, which opens up windows behind them.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with any of this. It’s okay for Jackson to be a quarterback who takes advantage of the threat of his legs when passing the ball. It’s okay that he’s not Peyton Manning from the pocket. He doesn’t have to be, because he can do things like this:
Jackson is a different style of quarterback, and it’s worked out pretty well for him to this point.
That said, we have to nitpick to separate the best from the best. And the ability to execute from the pocket consistently is, indeed, what separates the top-3 quarterbacks on this list from Jackson.
Simply put, he’s not as consistent of a player when his legs aren’t a factor. It’s not that Jackson can’t succeed from the pocket at all, because as I said, he’s become a much more polished passer with each year that he plays. It’s just a matter of consistency.
And at some point during every postseason, a good defense finds a way to neutralize his legs and forces him to try and win from the pocket for 60 minutes. He hasn’t been able to do so yet, as we’ve all seen in each of his four playoff losses. We certainly saw it last year in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs.
Postseason shortcomings aside, Jackson is a unique and special player who is seemingly impossible to stop at times. He’s clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And the Ravens will be competing for the Super Bowl yearly as long as he’s under center.
Check out the rest of the rankings here:
#32 Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
#31 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
#30 J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
#29 Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)
#28 Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)
#27 Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
#25 Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
#24 Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
#23 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
#21 Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
#20 Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
#19 Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
#18 Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
#17 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
#16 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
#15 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
#14 Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
#13 Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)
#12 Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
#10 Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
#9 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
#7 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
#5 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
#4 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
#3 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
#2 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
Honest Question: What do you think about his arm strength?