Lamar Jackson is the youngest two-time MVP quarterback in NFL history, one of just 11 players to win multiple MVP awards. The Baltimore Ravens do take it personally when criticism arises regarding their star quarterback for his play on the field, who has just two playoff victories and one AFC Championship game appearance in his six seasons.
John Harbaugh reads the criticism of his quarterback. Some of the stuff said about Jackson frustrates him, which is why the Ravens head coach went out on a limb for his MVP quarterback.
"The victory has already been won, when you pour into a vision. And the vision that we have together is that Lamar Jackson is going to become and be known and be recognized as the greatest quarterback ever to play in the history of the National Football League, that's the vision," Harbaugh said. "It's going to happen by Lamar, his work ethic and his brilliant talent by all of us pouring into that effort together as a team, teamwork and by the grace of God and God's good will.
"That's how it's going to happen. And I believe it like we've already seen it."
Of course, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs exist. Mahomes has also won two MVPs and has three Super Bowl titles on his resume, but Jackson has also been impressive during the Chiefs' dynasty -- even if he hasn't been as great as Mahomes.
Jackson is 58-19 as a starting quarterback, as his .753 win percentage is third-best for a quarterback in NFL history (only Mahomes and Tom Brady have a higher win percentage). Hs 5,258 rushing yards are fourth-most by a quarterback in NFL history, while his 13 100-yard rushing games and 61.8 rushing yards per game are the best for a quarterback in league history.
Jackson recorded his third career 800-yard rushing season in 2023, breaking a tie with Michael Vick (two) for the most such seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. He is the only quarterback since the 1970 merger to reach 700 rushing yards in five consecutive seasons (2019-23) and is the only quarterback since the 1970 merger to reach 600 rushing yards in each of the first six years of a career (2018-23). No other quarterback in NFL history has more than four such seasons in a career.
Jackson is one of four quarterbacks since the 1970 merger with multiple seasons posting at least 25 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns in a career, joining Josh Allen (four), Deshaun Watson (two) and Steve Young (two). He has four career games with at least five touchdown passes, the third most such games by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. Only Patrick Mahomes (six games) and Dan Marino (five) have more.
Jackson isn't Mahomes, but he's put up some impressive numbers. Multiple Super Bowls would put him in the GOAT conversation, which is why Harbaugh went to bat for a player he believes will get the Ravens back to Super Bowl glory.
That's why Harbaugh takes the criticism personally.
"There's a lot of great things said about Lamar – but there's a lot of stuff that's said that you have to just scratch your head about and wonder what's that person's even thinking," Jackson said. "Lamar's a guy – all his life – Lamar Jackson has been a guy who has been answering those same questions. I'm talking about since he was a kid. Junior high, high school, college, the [NFL] Draft; the success he's had in the National Football League, and it still comes up.
"He's still growing, he's got a growth mindset, [and] he's going to get better and better, no doubt. But what does he have to do to prove himself to some people, right? And so the thing, for me, is just ... [I'm] talking about vision again. There's a vision, and I believe the Ravens, and we've always had a vision for Lamar Jackson.
"It started with Lamar's vision, and his mom's vision, when he said he was going to be a quarterback. He was going to be a quarterback in high school, he's going to be a quarterback in college; he's going to be a quarterback in the National Football League. And we bought into that. We embraced it. We built an offense for it in '19. We're building another offense for it in '23 and '24 going forward – the next iteration of our offense around Lamar Jackson.
"In my opinion, the vision, the vision for Lamar Jackson, and it's a vision – it's something you see it like it's already happened. You can see it like it's already been done."
