Lamar Jackson Receives Disrespectful Ranking on NFL Top 100 List

Coming off a 2025 season in which physical ailments limited him to just 13 starts, two of which he didn't even finish, it's understandable why Baltimore Ravens franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson didn't repeat as the second-best player in the league on the annual NFL Top 100 list, voted on by active players.

However, to go from No. 2 in each of the past two years to falling all the way to No. 69 on this year's is absolutely outrageous. There aren't 20 or even 50 players in the NFL better than the three-time First Team All Pro and two-time league MVP, so for him to fall a whopping 67 spots down the list is not only disrespectful but is flat out excusable.

Next up on Top 100: @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/lNi2LsvvMC
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 13, 2026

“Lamar’s special,” recently retired Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joel Bitonio said. “I think he’s so dynamic to what Baltimore does. When he’s on the field, just the threat of his run mobility, the way he can still open up the passing game as well, it’s always tough for us when we have to go to Baltimore.”

Jackson was hampered by seemingly one injury after another last year, all of which were of the lower-leg variety, and it severely impacted his ability to be his usual dynamic and electrifying playmaking self. Yet, he still managed to put up solid numbers with 2,549 passing yards, the 12th-most passing touchdowns (21) and post a passer rating of over 100 for the third year in a row with a103.8, which was higher than his 2023 MVP-winning campaign.

While being out of sight due to injury can lead to even the most prominent players being out of mind, Jackson not even cracking the top half or even the top 25 on the list is just asinine. The only other time in his career when he ranked outside of the top 50 on this list came in 2023, following back-to-back injury-shortened seasons that saw him miss the final stretch of games in 2021 and 2022.

Unlike those other injury-impacted seasons, Jackson was able to return to action when his team needed him most and had the Ravens in position to not only make the postseason but become the first team to ever claim three consecutive AFC North division championships. In Week 18, with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, he led a pair of go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter and would've been credited with a third if rookie kicker Tyler Loop hadn't missed a chip-shot game-winner wide right.

“He can do everything from anywhere,” Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers said. “In the pocket, running, if that’s not a threat, I don’t know what is.”

What will be a travesty is if Kansas City Chiefs two-time league MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes comes in significantly higher than Jackson. He only threw one more touchdown and four more interceptions and played in 14 games before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15.

In the past, there have been instances where star players appeared in less than a handful of games and still managed to crack the top 40, with future Hall of Fame defensive lineman J.J. Watt coming at No. 35 after a season where he played in just three games.

When healthy, Jackson is the most exciting player to watch and the most dangerous lethal force to try to mitigate. In the games where he was healthy or close to returning to form, he put his dazzling talents on display several times, especially in some key moments.

"He loves his tight ends, he loves his targets downfield,” free agent veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “It’s when you’re dropping back on third down, and you think everything is sweet and all of a sudden, he’s just sliding out of the pocket, and you realize that you can’t catch him, that person can’t catch him, this person can’t catch him."

Poised to bounce back with a vengeance

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up prior to the game against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium. — Dec 21, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) warms up prior to the game against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jackson's inability to stay upright and off the injury report last year was a direct result of the regression and lack of consistency from the Ravens offensive line. Instead of building off a strong finish to the 2024 season despite returning four of five starters, Baltimore's starting blocking unit was a glaring liability far too often and at the most inopportune times throughout the 2025 season.

Their play at the two guard spots, in particular, accounted for the majority of the embarrassing whiffs and missed blocking assignments that resulted in Jackson getting hit, sacked and flushed from the pocket as well as runs getting stuffed at and behind the line of scrimmage. Those gaffes tanked the Ravens' efficiency in the red zone and short-yardage rushing situations and led to Jackson getting sacked 36 times, just two shy of his career-high.

As a result of those shortcomings, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made it his mission to upgrade the offensive line. He delivered by replacing the woeful tandem of Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees with veteran John Simpson, whom they reunited with in free agency, and rookie Olaivavega Ioane
, whom they selected at No. 14 overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Penn State.

Head coach Jesse Minter also did his part by making renowned offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford one of the initial hires to his staff, and followed it up by bringing in another rising star in the coaching realm in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

With improved pass protection and more tenacity in the run game, Jackson is primed to be back in the top five, if not in contention for the top spot on this list for the second time in his career. It's just flabbergasting how anytime he doesn't finish first or second in MVP voting, the national media and, clearly, some of his peers develop a bad case of amnesia when it comes to the type of generational and nearly unstoppable talent he is when he steps foot on the gridiron.

“My favorite thing is being able to watch him on the sideline and glad I’m not chasing him,” former Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “A lot of people said he’s not quarterbacky enough and I think he’s proven those people wrong but more importantly, he’s proven his mom and him right.”

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