Cam Newton Says Lamar Jackson Is the Most ‘Dynamic Player in All of Football,’ Praises His Dedication
This NFL season has been the Lamar Jackson show. The Baltimore Ravens signal caller has put together arguably the best season of his career, and perhaps the most effective year by a dual-threat quarterback since Cam Newton in 2015.
Newton, who won the MVP that season for the Carolina Panthers, had high praise for Jackson during Wednesday's episode of his 4th & 1 show.
"There's not a more dynamic player in all of football than Lamar Jackson," Newton said. "Patrick Mahomes, dynamic in his own right. A different dynamic. But electric."
That's not an extremely unique take. Ever since he took over as the Ravens' starter in Week 11 of the 2018 season, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner has been a human highlight reel, making defenses pay with his arm and his legs.
But this season has seen Jackson take it to another level. After injuries sidelined him for the conclusion of Baltimore's last two seasons, the righty has been a force to be reckoned with this year.
Jackson, in his sixth season in the NFL, is likely to win his second league MVP award. During the regular season, the 27-year-old completed a career-high 67.2% of his passes, tossing for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also racked up 821 yards (the most among quarterbacks) and five touchdowns on the ground.
Now, Jackson has a chance to match what Newton did with Carolina in 2015 — not only win the MVP, but lead his team to a Super Bowl appearance.
But even if the Ravens are unable to knock off Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship Game, Newton still thinks Jackson's season - and career thus far - will be one to remember.
"If he stops playing right now, he still is great," Newton said. "He's the [second] youngest MVP to ever receive that award, ever. But you're gonna sit up here and tell me 'Oh, he gotta win a Super Bowl.' The guy has done everything he was supposed to do."
One of the reasons Jackson has been so prolific during his career, according to Newton? Dedication to his craft.
Jackson entered the league as the 32nd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but with a specific distinction; he was the last of five quarterbacks selected in the first round, behind Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Sam Darnold (New York Jets), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) and Josh Rosen (Arizona Cardinals).
Only one of those quarterbacks, Allen, is still a bonafide star with the team that drafted him. Mayfield, who Cleveland traded away in 2021, put together a bounce-back year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the franchise to the Divisional Round.
But Darnold is currently the San Francisco 49ers' backup, while Rosen is out of the league. Jackson, on the other hand, is the only one of that group to win an MVP.
On Sunday, he has a chance to become the only one to lead his franchise to a conference title. It's all the result of years of hard work.
"You can't name me a commercial that Lamar Jackson's on," Newton added. "You can't even probably name me an endorsement that Lamar Jackson has. Lamar Jackson is the epitome of keeping the main thing the main thing."