Lamar Jackson is one of a handful of players who have rightfully earned a spot to be penciled-in as an MVP candidate at the beginning of each year, barring injury.
Jackson has played 15 or more games in 4 seasons so far. Here are his MVP voting results in those seasons:
- 2019: 1st (unanimous MVP)
- 2020: No MVP votes
- 2023: 1st (1 vote shy of another unanimous MVP)
- 2024: 2nd (Bills QB Josh Allen won)
Last season’s MVP race was one of the closest in league history, at least in terms of first-place voting. As Sports Illustrated’s Tom Dierberger wrote on the day of the announcement, “the four-vote margin is the closest finish in an MVP race since 2003 when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were named co-MVPs.”
The reveal of the NFL Top 100 begins tomorrow, but we’ll have to wait until September 1st for the top 10. After a 2nd-place finish in the races for both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, there’s no question that Lamar Jackson has a chance to take the top spot once again heading into the 2025 season.
Lamar Jackson Jumped 70 Spots in 2024, Just Short of No. 1
After rising 70 spots in last year’s NFL Top 100 rankings, Lamar Jackson fell just short of the top spot. The players selected Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill at No. 1 after he racked up 119 catches for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023, both tops in the league.
A late-season ankle injury cost Hill a shot at breaking Calvin Johnson’s all-time single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards. Although, Johnson accomplished the feat in 16 games, so a 17th game would add a small asterisk on Hill’s record.
Hill has the distinction as the only wide receiver to take the top spot on the list. But, Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase could approach the top spot this year.
Last season, Chase became just the sixth player in the Super Bowl era to win the receiving triple crown. He led the league with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Yesterday, NFL.com’s Digital Content Editor Grant Gordon included Lamar Jackson on a list of the top 8 contenders for the top spot on the 2025 list. The other 7 players listed were Bills QB Josh Allen, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, Browns DE Myles Garrett, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II.
Jackson and Mahomes the Only Top Contenders to Finish No. 1 Before
Since its inception in 2011, 10 different players have earned the No. 1 spot on the NFL Top 100 list. Of those 10 players, 7 have been quarterbacks.
It’s no surprise that Tom Brady holds the record with 4 appearances at No. 1 (2011, 2017, 2018, 2022). Patrick Mahomes is the only other player to have earned the No. 1 spot more than once (2021 and 2023).
Heading into the 2025 season, Lamar Jackson should have a real shot at joining that exclusive club alongside Brady and Mahomes. Jackson has never been short of accolades, but 2024 was truly a one-of-a-kind season.
Lamar Jackson became the first player in league history to throw for 4,000+ passing yards and run for 800+ rushing yards. Jackson tied for the league lead with 45 total touchdowns (41 passing, 4 rushing) and accumulated over 5,000 total yards.
Incredibly, he finished in the top 10 in passing and top 20 in rushing last season. Lamar Jackson is already the most prolific running quarterback of all time, as he passed Michael Vick’s record last season.
There have only been 4 seasons in which a quarterback has rushed for over 1,000 yards. Lamar Jackson has 2 of them (2019 & 2020).
Obviously, Josh Allen has a great chance of taking the top spot given that he won the MVP last year. But, Lamar Jackson has a real shot to take the top spot once again, adding to a seemingly-ever-growing list of accomplishments.
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