Peyton Manning, Tom Brady Laud Lamar Jackson, Who Could Join Them in Exclusive Club
Two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time showed love this week to Lamar Jackson, who may join them in an exclusive club.
If Jackson wins his third MVP award at NFL Honors tonight, he would become the seventh player in NFL history with at least three MVP awards. The other six are Peyton Manning (five), Aaron Rodgers (four), Tom Brady (three), Jim Brown (three), Brett Favre (three), and Johnny Unitas (three).
Manning and Brady lauded Jackson, the all-time leading rusher for a quarterback, for taking his passing skills to another level this season.
"He can beat you in different ways and that's a great credit for a quarterback," Manning told The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. "There's definitely no easy book on Lamar, like, 'OK, this is how you have to play him.' That's a credit to him and that's probably where he's improved the most. The confidence in his guys and the mastery in that system, I'd just say it's at an all-time high right now."
Brady, an analyst for Fox Sports, named Jackson as his Offensive Player of the Year.
"Forty-one touchdown passes and only four interceptions. Time to give Lamar the respect he deserves as a passer," Brady said. "Congrats to Lamar on a season that could very well end up with his third career MVP award."
Jackson, who turned 28 last month, would become the youngest player to win three MVP awards. Favre also won his third at age 28, but older than Jackson.
"People are probably going to be reluctant to say it, because it seems like he's been there forever, but he's still a young player," Manning said. "He has so much great football ahead of him. Look, he's extremely fun to watch, he plays with a joy out there, which I think is great. I think his teammates feed off of that. He's extremely competitive. I think it just says a lot about him that he doesn't say, 'Hey, I'm not going to try and get any better this year. I've done this. I'm going to relax this offseason and not work as hard.' It looks like he works even harder each offseason to be even better the next year."
Pundits Says Ravens Trading for Cooper Kupp Is a 'Long Shot'
The Ravens have been named as a potential suitor for veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was informed by the Los Angeles Rams that they intend to trade him.
Zrebiec proposed a deal in which the Ravens send 2025 fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Rams in exchange for Kupp and the Rams paying down part of his contract. If traded, Kupp's new team would owe him $20 million in 2025 and $19.85 million in 2026 unless the Rams pay some of it.
However, Zrebiec said the Ravens landing Kupp is "a long shot."
"The Ravens have very little salary-cap flexibility and also feel good about their top two receivers, Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, and their two pass-catching tight ends, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely," Zrebiec wrote. "The big question would be whether the Ravens can make the money work, and that's certainly debatable.
"Still, they loved Kupp coming out of the 2017 draft and were disappointed when the Rams selected him five spots ahead of them in the third round. This could be a low-cost, better-later-than-never addition."
Nate Wiggins, Roger Rosengarten Are Off the Board Before Ravens Select in 2024 Re-Draft
NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri and Tom Blair conducted a 2024 re-draft, and just like ESPN's re-draft earlier this week (as covered in Late for Work), the Ravens missed out on cornerback Nate Wiggins and offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten.
Wiggins, who was selected 30th overall by the Ravens in real life, went to the Green Bay Packers at No. 21. Rosengarten, who the Ravens took in the second round (62nd), was scooped up by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round at No. 29.
The Ravens selected cornerback Kamari Lassiter at No. 30 in the re-draft.
"Missing out on original draftees Nate Wiggins and Roger Rosengarten puts a dent in Baltimore's 2024 draft class, but the addition of Kamari Lassiter softens the blow a bit," Bhanpuri and Blair wrote. "Lassiter's playmaking ability and success on the outside – he led all CBs in completion percentage over expected (-11.5%) this season – still allows Marlon Humphrey to slide back into the slot to give the Ravens' secondary its best shot at success."
Ravens Urged to Pursue Ascending Cowboys Edge Rusher in Free Agency
The Ravens could be in the market for an edge rusher this offseason, but rather than pursuing a big-name veteran, The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher said they should target a rising player who fits their "right player, right price" mantra.
Mosher named Chauncey Golston of the Dallas Cowboys as the player and $12 million over two years as the price.
"The Baltimore Ravens are unlikely to be big spenders in free agency, but they also manage to sign a few players that end up having big roles moving forward," Mosher wrote. "Chauncey Golston is an ascending player who can play all across the defensive line and in any defense.
"He became a full-time starter in Dallas last year and has the size and length that Baltimore covets. Golston isn't a big-name defender, but he is a winning player who would fit well in Baltimore's defense."
Gholston, a 2021 third-round pick, had 5.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits this past season.
Former Steelers QB Charlie Batch Reflects on Memorable Final Start Against Ravens
Former NFL quarterback Charlie Batch spent most of his 12-year career as a backup, but his final start at age 38 – against the Ravens in 2012 at M&T Bank Stadium – is something he said Steelers fans fondly remember him for.
Batch, who started in place of an injured Ben Roethlisberger and led Pittsburgh to a 23-20 upset over the Ravens, reflected on the game during an appearance on the “Ryan Ripken Show” on YouTube at Radio Row in New Orleans.
"When you come over to Pittsburgh, it's like you don't make your moment until you make a play in the Baltimore game," Batch said. "You make that play, people remember you for it and they talk about it for years. In my case … having the opportunity to go down there, they were 9-2. … We went in there and beat them in their house. It was cool to be able to do it and people remember it all these years later."
Batch acknowledged that the Ravens got the last laugh. They went on to win the Super Bowl, while the 8-8 Steelers failed to make the playoffs.
