Since entering the NFL, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has made it clear how much he admires Tom Brady. Because of Brady’s ability to consistently lead his teams to Super Bowls during his career, Jackson refers to him as the greatest of all time, and says he wants to be to Baltimore what Brady is to New England— a place where the retired quarterback recently had a statue unveiled.
The admiration Jackson has for Brady is why some recent comments from the former quarterback should sting Jackson a little, but should also stick with him. Brady recently joined The Joel Klatt Show and was asked if any current quarterbacks remind him of himself. Admitting that he could only tell so much from afar, Brady named Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
While that’s not surprising considering Mahomes’ sucess, Brady explained that Mahomes seems to be the quarterback who most consistently does the actionable things every day to put his team in position to win. The former quarterback expressed, “In the biggest moments, you can depend on him the most.”
While everyone would have loved to get that nod from Brady, it’s what he said next that the other elite quarterbacks like Jackson need to hold on to. Brady explicitly said, “there’s other guys who are still developing, and they need to prove it… they’ve all shown flashes of amazing things… at some point, they need to take the next step.”
The future Hall of Famer then made clear what the next step is, emphasizing that elite quarterbacks need to take more ownership of the organization and guide their franchise to where they want to go. According to Brady, that looks like being active in the offseason and putting pressure on the front office to build the roster, working with the coaches to game plan, and demanding more from players whether the coaches are around or not.
“In the biggest moments, you can depend on him the most.”@TomBrady says this NFL QB reminds him most of himself because of the habits and work ethic that it takes to win. pic.twitter.com/zJdKRaKIGY
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) August 12, 2025
Tom Brady encourages elite quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson to take more ownership of their organizations
Simply put, Brady says it’s not just about a quarterback posting an impressive stat line; it’s about the quarterback getting everyone in the organization on the bus, and driving them in the right direction.
Lamar Jackson should take a hold of these words and ask himself if he’s operating in this fashion. He has clearly been the best quarterback in the league the last few years, but the Ravens haven’t been able to reach, or win, a Super Bowl. If Jackson can get the entire organization on the page he’s on, this could finally be the season.