Analyst: Ravens' Lamar Jackson on Verge of Immortality

At this point of his career, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson doesn't have that much left to prove.

The 28-year-old already has two MVP awards to his name, and though he fell just short of winning his third in 2024, he still put up one of the most dominant seasons ever by a quarterback with 41 passing touchdowns to only four interceptions. With all his accolades, Jackson could retire right now and easily make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

While that may be the case, he likely wouldn't go down as one of the very best to ever play. He'd be up there for sure, but not quite with the historically elite.

According to ESPN's Mike Greenberg, Jackson is just one Super Bowl ring away from joining that exclusive group.

"For Lamar and Josh Allen, what they're playing for is immortality," Greenberg said this week on “Get Up.” "Both of them could retire tomorrow and they'd be in the Hall of Fame. But if either of them, and we'll use Lamar in this case because that's who we're talking about, wins a championship, all of a sudden he vaults into that place where the conversation on shows like this one are, 'Where does he belong on the list with the great quarterbacks of all time?' Two regular-season MVPs and a Super Bowl starts that conversation."

While head coach John Harbaugh recently pushed back against the "Super Bowl or bust" mindset that surrounds the Ravens on a yearly basis, ESPN's Kimberly A. Martin again put the pressure on Jackson and co. this season.

"I think anything short of winning a Super Bowl for Lamar is going to be seen by Lamar as a disappointment," Martin said. "As an individual, he's already cemented what his legacy is. He can only add to it. I think for him it is the team aspect."

Though Jackson, who's entering his eighth NFL season, has yet to make a Super Bowl, he's far from the only star quarterback to find himself in such a situation. Peyton Manning, who's considered one of the best quarterbacks to ever play, didn't make it to the big game until his ninth season, and others made it to one but didn't win until much later, if they ever did. So, Jackson still has plenty of time to win himself a ring.

"I'm only 28. I'm really just getting started, for real," Jackson told reporters on Wednesday.