Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York. Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
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Lamar Jackson and the unthinkable question

Two-time MVP has changed quarterback evaluation but still carries burden of unfulfilled postseason promise

William C. Rhoden @RhodenRhoden8
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    This season, Andscape will document the ups and downs of this Black quarterback fraternity and how each of its members is carrying their specific burden of proof.

    Lamar Jackson entered the NFL like a powerful river.

    The youngest player to ever win the Heisman Trophy, Jackson also won the first of his two NFL MVP awards in his first full season as the Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback. He has led the Ravens to four AFC North division titles and an AFC Championship Game appearance.

    But injuries have hobbled the 29-year-old Jackson once again this season, raising a once-unthinkable question: Has this river run its course?

    At his peak, Jackson was electric — possibly the most exciting quarterback the NFL had ever seen. He changed how defenses had to think and permanently altered the mindset of talent evaluators who once pushed athletic Black quarterbacks to become wide receivers or defensive backs.

    Jackson opened eyes to infinite possibilities.

    While the regular season was outstanding, Jackson’s postseasons have ended with heartbreaking losses and unfulfilled promise. And too many times, injuries short-circuited Jackson’s — and the Ravens’ — seasons.

    Set to turn 30 in the final week of the regular season, Jackson no longer needs to prove he can thrill us with extraordinary plays. The overriding question is whether this powerful river can bring a championship to Baltimore.

    William C. Rhoden is a columnist for Andscape and the author of Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete. He directs the Rhoden Fellows, a training program for aspiring journalists from HBCUs.