Lamar Jackson Still Disrespected as an Elite Quarterback in Latest League-Wide Poll

After an uncharacteristically difficult 2025 regular season for the elite NFL quarterbacks, ranking the league’s top passers was always going to be a fiercely debated issue.

Outside of Matthew Stafford -- who ended up earning his first league MVP Award -- all of the other big names at the quarterback position faced big struggles throughout the season.

However, one aspect within the league that seems unchanged is the bias. A few passers are getting a pass for last year’s underwhelming performances, while others keep getting overlooked when discussing the games elite talents.

Such is the case, once again, for the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, who placed fifth according to a recent leaguewide poll of team executives, coaches and scouts conducted by ESPN.

In ESPN’s piece, Jackson winds up behind Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Stafford and Joe Burrow.

No one can deny Jackson’s 2025 season wasn’t his finest work, especially coming off a stellar 2024 where he should have been awarded his third NFL MVP Award after throwing 41 touchdown passes against just four interceptions, and leading the league in touchdown percentage, yards per attempt, passer rating and QBR, among many other things.

Last year, injuries limited Jackson to just 13 contests, throwing for 2,549 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and still managing to lead the league in yards per pass completed.

However, one has to wonder how he’s ranked below Burrow, who’s coming off an 8-game injury-shortened season where he threw for 1,809 yards with 17 touchdowns to five interceptions.

Allen, who leads the rankings this year, threw for 3,668 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, his sixth year in eight professional seasons throwing double-digit picks. And yes, Allen did contribute 14 rushing touchdowns in the year, his third straight year with at least 12, but those were the kind of stats that used to be held against Jackson in the past, right?

And then there’s Mahomes, who was ranked second, coming off a 3,587-yard effort with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games played. That’s now five seasons in a row and six overall with double-digit interceptions for Mahomes, who hasn’t crossed the 30-touchdown threshold since 2022, just like Allen. The last time Mahomes or Allen threw for at least 4,000 yards was in 2023.

Why are we bringing up those numbers? Well, ESPN’s stated mission in doing these polls “was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award, but meant to answer a simple question: Who are the best players right now?”

The most plausible explanation could be that people just can’t let go of their preconceptions. Otherwise, why would Stafford not be the clear No. 1 after an MVP season?

And yes, there’s always the “he hasn’t won the big one yet” when discussing Jackson, an argument that tends to disappear when Allen or Burrow comes up. Besides, how much of a factor are Mahomes’ rings in these votes, because they shouldn’t be.

It gets worse

If you think placing Jackson as only the fifth best quarterback in the NFL right now looks biased, consider that Jackson came up 69th in NFL Network’s yearly Top-100 countdown according to the league’s players, a 67 rung drop from last year.

And what’s most outstanding about this list, is that before Jackson, the only other passers on the list that have come up are Bryce Young (98), Brock Purdy (85), Baker Mayfield (77) and Jordan Love (72). That leaves names like Allen, Mahomes, Stafford and Burrow still to be sorted out, along with the likes of passers like Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold and Jayden Daniels.

How many of those will make the list above Jackson and, more importantly, how many of those would you choose at their peak over Jackson at his?

The 2026 overview

Jackson should be due for a nice rebound in 2026. He’ll now be operating Declan Doyle’s version of an NFL offense, one that should look noticeably different than what he did in recent years under Todd Monken.

He’ll have his top weapons back in wide receiver Zay Flowers, tight end Mark Andrews and running back Derrick Henry, and he'll have several new faces to throw the ball to, after an offense-heavy draft.

But most importantly, Jackson will be operating in what amounts as a contract year if the Ravens can’t get a deal done before the new season begins.

The most dynamic playmaker in the league is used to being overlooked, but he’s equally used to making all those hot takes look bad once he gets going, which is what’s expected in 2026.

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