OWINGS MILLS — Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton has high praise for the Raven’s two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
Speaking on the “4th & 1 with Cam Newton” podcast on YouTube, he said Jackson is the best dual-threat quarterback in the history of the NFL.
“Lamar’s style is different than mine,” said Newton, who was named NFL MVP in 2015. “He’s got big plays any play. He’s got speed that I never had. And he’s just a legend. I played the game more powerful. I can run, but I’m going to probably get caught. Vick, Lamar, they ain’t getting caught.”
Jackson was named NFL MVP last season and in 2019 he was one vote shy of being a unanimous choice. He is the 11th player in NFL history to win the award multiple times, joining Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Kurt Warner.
“I never thought I’d be a two-time MVP winner. If anything, I thought I’d be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback by now,” Jackson said at this year’s NFL awards ceremony in Las Vegas. “I feel like I still have work to do and stuff to prove to the naysayers. But I need the naysayers.”
Last season, Jackson threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns with career highs in completion percentage (67.2) and yards per completion (8) over 16 regular-season games. He also led the Ravens with 821 yards rushing, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and five scores.
His seven 50-yard rushing games gave Jackson 54 in his career, tying Michael Vick’s all-time mark for quarterbacks. He also became the first quarterback to run for 700 or more yards in five consecutive seasons, He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Weeks 7 and 17.
Vick holds the record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 6,109 ahead of Newton (5,631), Russell Wilson (5,307), and Jackson (5,258). At age 27, Jackson has plenty of time to pass Vick.
In addition, Jackson has been impressive in winning games, going 58-19 in the regular season.
The goal is to perform better in the playoffs, where he’s 2-4. A championship would take care of that.
“If you want to be considered one of the greats of all time, it’s what you do in the postseason,” said Louis Riddick, an NFL and college football analyst for ESPN. “[Jackson] will be judged by what he does in the postseason.”