Ravens Star Tops List of Most Fun NFL Players

If there's one thing that fans of the NFL know about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, whether they started paying attention to him recently or decades ago, it's that he's one of the most electric players to watch on a Sunday to Sunday basis.

Never has there been a quarterback who combines rushing ability with a decision-making-based pocket presence quite like Jackson has. He's converted that raw skill that once got him drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft into raging on-field success. The Ravens are viewed as a contender to begin every season, and their 2x MVP plays a bigger role in their expectations than anyone.

CBS Sports recently rattled off their "All-Fun" team as we close into the final month before the NFL officially kicks off its regular season, with their pick at quarterback to lead off the team likely required little thought. Even in a league with plenty of talent at the top, no one can regularly replicate Jackson's unique brand of football.

"Does anyone on an NFL field embody both the joy and backyard shenanigans of childhood more than Lamar Jackson?" Cody Benjamin posed. "He's a repeat MVP, which means his talent is transcendent. He's a walking highlight reel, forever liable to outsprint an entire defense on any given snap. And he does it all with a chipper smile, radiating positivity as the face of a perennial contender."

Some franchise players stack up specific statistics or get their occasional highlights in at the expense of winning, but part of Jackson's appeal is how he's managed to funnel his style into achievement.

Questions about how he translates to the playoffs continue, but that has to do more with the man than the style at this point. His 41 touchdowns to four interceptions in 2024 leave little room to wonder whether he can get it done as a "traditional" quarterback, and his talented team is certainly good enough to help get the team to the next level.

Hefty expectations may start and end with Jackson as the man in the middle of everything, but his ability to persist with his one-of-one on-field personality has vaulted him to spearhead a list that includes the Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles and the rest of the "must-watch" players lining the league.