Baltimore Ravens fans are furious. The disrespect surrounding Lamar Jackson throughout his Hall of Fame-caliber career has been agonizing to hear. Unfortunately, it’s reached another level this offseason, as he ranked 69th on the NFL Top 100.
At this point, that kind of take is expected from the media. However, it’s truly stunning to see his peers forget how dominant he is. One season doesn’t change that he’s a two-time MVP, and one season doesn’t change that he’s possibly the most dynamic quarterback that the league has ever seen.
Thankfully, the reaction to Jackson’s placement has been fairly unanimous. Everyone is flat-out stunned, and even an old Baltimore rival has Jackson’s back. In a segment on First Take, Ryan Clark said what’s been on every Ravens fan’s mind for pretty much every year of Jackson’s career.
“Outside of Patrick Mahomes, there is no more accomplished quarterback in the entire NFL individually [than Lamar Jackson]. There is no quarterback who carries more than Lamar Jackson; there is no quarterback who is asked to do more than Lamar Jackson,” Clark said. “We talked about some of the disrespect he has gotten; that’s disrespect I expected. I expected executives to not know where to place him…What I didn’t expect is dudes that have to line up in pads to not understand how scary it is to walk on the field when this dude is right. And ain’t that much changed in one year.”
Ryan Clark's Joe Burrow comparison explains why Baltimore Ravens fans are frustrated with Lamar Jackson's ranking
Whether you like it or not, Lamar Jackson’s spot on the NFL Top 100 was always going to take a bit of a hit. He missed four games due to injury, and fans have to admit that when he was on the field after injuring his hamstring, he had spurts where he struggled. That’s not to say he wasn’t effective, though. He was still dangerous with his arm, and helped keep the team in playoff contention until the literal final play of their 2025 campaign.
In the same breath, a 67-spot drop-off is an unbelievably bad ranking from the players. I could’ve understood maybe dropping to around the 30 to 40 range. Sure, it would’ve been a slight shock, but it would’ve been more reasonable. What makes it even worse is that we pretty much know that Joe Burrow is going to be ranked higher. And that’s unfair.
Clark used that Burrow comparison to defend Jackson, too.
“When you take a look at a guy like Joe Burrow and where he’s ranked, they don’t take into account how much he’s been injured, or how little he’s played, how awful his team has been,” Clark said. “They look at Joe Burrow when he is on the field, what he has accomplished, and they rank him by that…the same exact thing should go for Lamar Jackson.”
This isn’t meant to disrespect Joe Burrow—he’s a fantastic quarterback and is clear as day a top-five player at his position. However, it’s also true that injuries have thrown his career off course at times. Three of his six seasons have seen him play 10 or fewer games, and while an atrocious Cincinnati Bengals offensive line has been the root of most of those issues, the same exact thing can be said about Jackson in 2025.
Yet, Burrow is almost certainly going to find himself ahead of Jackson on the NFL Top 100. All the while, Burrow played in three fewer games last season and debatably looked worse than Jackson. That’s what makes not just the Top 100 rank, but the media’s view of Jackson, so frustrating.
It's an unfair standard that the Louisville product is held to, and it’s one he’s probably never going to escape until he can prove he can win a Super Bowl. And even then, critics will probably just find another way to disrespect him if he makes that dream a reality.
Add us as a preferred source on Google