Lamar Jackson joined elite company on Thursday.
After a disappointing loss in the AFC title game, the 27-year-old quarterback was named league MVP for the second time in his career at the NFL Honors ceremony.
Jackson was nearly the unanimous selection, earning 49 first-place votes. Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen, who finished fifth in voting, got the other. Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott came in second while San Francisco 49ers stars Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy finished third and fourth, respectively.
Jackson is just the 11th player in league history to win the award multiple times, joining Peyton Manning (5), Aaron Rodgers (4), Tom Brady (3), Brett Favre (3), Jim Brown (3), Johnny Unitas (3), Patrick Mahomes (2), Kurt Warner (2), Steve Young (2) and Joe Montana (2).
The Baltimore Ravens had a dominant regular season with Jackson at the helm, finishing 13-4 to earn the AFC's No. 1 seed. Jackson posted 3,678 passing yards, 821 rushing yards, 29 total touchdowns (24 passing, five rushing) and seven interceptions in 16 starts before resting in Week 18.
In the postseason, Jackson briefly silenced the critics with a standout performance in the wild card round. He had four total touchdowns in the Ravens' win, the second of his playoff career. But things fell apart on Championship Sunday, when Baltimore's offense went cold in a 17-10 home loss to Kansas City.
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Jackson's MVP run came after a strange offseason, where the Ravens allowed him to reach free agency via the non-exclusive franchise tag. He publicly requested a trade in March but eventually signed a five-year, $260 million contract to return to Baltimore in April.
The Ravens also revamped their offense for 2023, hiring a new coordinator in Todd Monken and adding difference-making receivers in Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. Even after injuries to tight end Mark Andrews and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell, the Ravens' offense never missed a beat.
Critics will remain skeptical of Jackson until he and the Ravens can break through in the postseason, but this is yet another honor that puts their incredible regular season into perspective.
