Ravens Pro Bowlers Make Bold Lamar Jackson Statement

"Every year he finds a new way to get better and better," Andrews said Tuesday. "It's almost like the game has just continually slowed down for him. And he's already such a fast, dynamic player and his playmaking, the way he reads the game, he's just getting more and more comfortable. I love the way that he's just going about his business and continues to move that bar higher and higher, which is already incredible."

Ravens' two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley has also had a front row seat to Jackson's maturation on and off the field, having been his blindside protector for the bulk of his career when they've both been healthy.

Count him among the massive contingent of those who were "very surprised" when his quarterback's historic 2024 season didn't result in him receiving back-to-back MVP honors and the third time overall in his already illustrious career. Not even he sees a peak in sight or on the horizon for his star signal caller.

"I think he kind of makes his own trajectory," Stanley said Tuesday. "He's going to do things week in and week out that we haven't seen before, so it's always surprising the new things he can do and accomplish. After playing with him for eight years, I'm not surprised by him always pushing the limits and breaking new boundaries."

Any time a prominent list ranking the top quarterbacks in the league begins making its rounds in the national media landscape, where Jackson ranks is always a topic for debate and hot-takes, whether he is at or near the top or somehow gets mindbogglingly slighted. However, he and the majority of his teammates couldn't care less about any one or more anonymous coach or executive's opinion about him because their collective focus is on bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Charm City.

"We know what matters for him," Stanley said. "He really just wants to win, so I think for us, I think our only motivation is just to get him that Super Bowl ring and bring that to Baltimore."

Jackson himself was asked about whether he is close to peaking as a player when he stepped to the podium on Wednesday after hitting the field for the first time since reporting to training camp. He pointed out that despite being an eighth-year veteran, he is still just 28 years old and believes he is "really just getting started," and head coach John Harbaugh agrees.

"There's so much that goes into playing that position and Lamar is young," Harbaugh said. "He works really hard. Secondly, he really wants to get better and he's already great. He's not one of these guys that says 'I'm there, I have arrived'. He never looks at it that way. He always looks at 'What can I do to get better?'"