It’s one thing to have media figures share their opinions of quarterbacks or players and arbitrarily rank them. It’s another when those in the NFL, be them executives and coaches giving their anonymous opinion. And for years on end, Lamar Jackson has been ranked below his peers in Tier 2 by NFL executives and coaches in The Athletic’s NFL QB Tiers. That is, until this season. For the first time in his career, Jackson is ranked a Tier 1 quarterback.
Though he is finally given the rank of Tier 1, he’s
long been as good or better than those in Tier 1. After all, he has won two NFL MVP awards (and robbed of a third last season). But for the first time, the voters placed him in the proper Tier.
“Lamar has really done a great job, and I do not think it has been him that has let them down (in the playoffs),” a defensive coordinator told The Athletic’s Mike Sando. “It has been other parts of their team. He has taken leaps and bounds in the last couple years.”
Sando showed the impressive numbers Jackson produced last season en route to AP First-Team All-Pro.
“Jackson set career bests last season for passing yards (4,172), yards per attempt (8.8), touchdown passes (41), interceptions (four), passer rating (119.6), sack rate (4.6 percent) and rate of passes gaining 15-plus yards (21.3 percent),” Sando wrote.
According to Sando, many of the voters saw Jackson as the 2024 MVP.
“It would have been his third,” an offensive coordinator said. “You can’t win three MVPs, still be in your prime and not be a 1.”
“There is a maturity of how he plays the game and when he turns on his magic,” another voter said. “We played them, and s—, he was almost perfect that day. He is definitely a 1.”
While Jackson is in Tier 1, there is still a disappointment to where in Tier 1 he is. Atop the mountain is Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Bengals’ Joe Burrow, tied for first with 50 Tier 1 votes (unanimous). At third is Bills’ Josh Allen, with 47 first-place votes. Jackson is in fourth, with 46 first-place votes, meaning four voters remain stubborn.
