Torrey Smith opens up about big Lamar Jackson, Ravens narrative

Perhaps the biggest criticism regarding what star quarterback Lamar Jackson has and hasn't achieved with the Baltimore Ravens is that he hasn't yet shown he can routinely guide the club to wins on the NFL's biggest stages. 

Former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith knows what it's like to reach the NFL mountaintop, as he earned a pair of Super Bowl rings during his playing career. During a recent appearance on WJZ’s "Purple Playbook" program, Smith discussed what is missing from Jackson's career resume this summer.

Lamar Jackson not to blame for his lack of a Super Bowl title?

"You can be a great player and your team not be good enough to get over the hump," Smith explained, per Kevin Eck of the Ravens' website. "You have to dissect it. Because every day when I'm in a grocery store or I'm going through the barber shop, you're going to hear from fans, 'Can Lamar get it done?' Well, Lamar's had this team in position multiple times, and you can look at a fumble here or there, a mistake here or there, and it boils down to it's a team collective when you go out there and win. It's all on the team. Did your quarterback give you a chance? That's what it boils down to."

The last time Jackson and the Ravens competed in a postseason tournament, he tossed an awful interception and committed a costly fumble during Baltimore's divisional-round loss at the Buffalo Bills in January 2025 that dropped him to 3-5 as a playoff starter. That said, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped what should have been a game-tying two-point conversion with 1:33 remaining in regulation. 

More recently, Baltimore's Tyler Loop missed what would have been a walk-off Week 18 field goal that would have sent the Ravens to the playoffs this past January. Following that defeat, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti fired longtime head coach John Harbaugh. 

Is Lamar Jackson already a Hall of Fame player?

"Lamar's done an excellent job and proven that he's one of the best players to ever play the game," Smith added about the two-time regular-season MVP. "If he was done today, Super Bowl or not, he's a Hall of Fame player, first ballot. I think that's important to remember for a guy who's not even 30 years old yet."

Smith also referred to Jackson as "the best athlete that's played a sport in Baltimore. ...Baseball, football, basketball back in the day, it doesn't matter." Whether or not that is the case may not matter all that much to Ravens fans or to an owner who could possibly make a big change if Jackson fails to notch at least one playoff win this coming January.