The NFL MVP is supposed to represent the best player in football. It’s supposed to be a reflection of dominance, excellence, and unmatched value. But if that were actually the case, Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson would have won his third MVP trophy in 2024.

Instead, Jackson was snubbed in favor of Buffalo’s Josh Allen, despite leading the most dominant offense in the league, winning first-team All-Pro honors, and breaking records left and right. It was the first time in history that a first-team All-Pro quarterback didn’t win MVP over another quarterback who wasn’t. But now, Pro Football Focus just dropped the real truth bomb: Jackson was the No. 1 player in all of football last season. Not just the best quarterback. The best player.

If there was any doubt that Jackson was the rightful MVP, this latest ranking should erase it. But at this point, the trophy itself doesn’t even matter. There’s only one piece of hardware that actually does—and that’s the Lombardi Trophy.

Lamar Jackson is the best football player on the planet

PFF broke down exactly why Jackson earned the top spot, and the explanation leaves no room for debate—no one was better:

“Jackson produced his best season as a passer in 2024 en route to leading all quarterbacks with a 94.9 overall grade. He is the first quarterback in PFF history to record a 90.0-plus passing grade and rushing grade in the same season. As a passer, he set new career bests with a 6.3% big-time throw rate and a 1.6% turnover-worthy play rate. On the ground, he led all quarterbacks with 1,035 rushing yards and 40 explosive runs, postseason included. This version of Jackson is simply unstoppable.”

That’s not some hot take—that’s data-backed proof that Jackson was the best player in football. So why didn’t he win MVP? The answer is simple: voter fatigue, plain and simple.

Josh Allen had a great season, but let’s be real: his stats didn’t compare. Jackson put up better passing numbers, better rushing numbers, and was more efficient in nearly every category. But because he had already won two MVPs, voters went looking for a new narrative.

Dan Orlovsky, one of the voters, admitted as much:
“Lamar was probably the best player in football this year… but value, and how much you impact your team, who you do it with and who you do it against, that’s where I thought Josh Allen had the upper hand.”

Translation? They got bored of Lamar winning and wanted a new face.

But that’s fine. Because at the end of the day, Jackson doesn’t care about individual awards—he cares about one thing and one thing only: winning a Super Bowl. If the 2024 season proved anything, it’s that he’s never been closer.

This is just fuel for the fire. And a motivated Lamar Jackson is the scariest player in football.