One thing that became crystal clear in the 2021 NFL season is that the future of the quarterback position is in good hands. While senior statesmen like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are still around and playing at MVP levels, there will be no shortage of elite players to take their places if and when they decide to step down.
That was evident during the Divisional Round of the playoffs last weekend when Joe Burrow helped lift the Cincinnati Bengals to heights many of us have never seen them reach with a win over the No. 1 seed Tennessee Titans. Then Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen had one of the all-time great duels while potentially establishing the first true quarterback rivalry since Brady and Peyton Manning.
Twitter users took notice of the awesome quarterback play from the three stars, all under 27 years old, and how they’ll make it very difficult for other AFC teams for the foreseeable future. Some even often lumped 23-year-old Justin Herbert into that mix.
Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert is a pretty dope future at the QB position.
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) January 23, 2022
Every year in the AFC for the foreseeable Future can have Mahomes, Burrow, Allen and Herbert. Rolling into any playoffs with a Tannehill level QB is gonna get you in trouble
— Cody Tapp (@codybtapp) January 22, 2022
Next decade in the AFC should be decent:
Patrick Mahomes (26)
Josh Allen (25)
Joe Burrow (25)
Justin Herbert (23)— Rich Keefe (@Keefe21) January 23, 2022
But aren’t these people forgetting somebody?
Ah, yes, Lamar Jackson, the former MVP who was again in early-season MVP talks in 2021 as his entire team disintegrated around him but the Baltimore Ravens continued to win.
Eventually, the injuries became too much and even caught up to him to put an end to the Ravens’ playoff hopes, but it wasn’t long ago when the debate about the next great QB rivalry was Jackson and Mahomes instead of Allen and Mahomes. In fact, it was Week 2 of this season when Jackson led the Ravens to an incredible fourth quarterback comeback win over the Chiefs.
Or did that happen at all?
Silver lining: if the Cowboys ever do pull it together, at least the vast majority of the young, exciting, amazing QBs in this league seem to play in the AFC?
Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert. All 26 or younger. Yeesh.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) January 24, 2022
Watching some of the elite young QB talent on full display this weekend in the AFC
GL to teams trying to go through Mahomes, Allen, Burrow (Herbert too but not there yet) every fall en route to winning the conference
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) January 24, 2022
Tom Brady
Peyton Manning
Ben Roethlisberger
Philip RiversPatrick Mahomes
Josh Allen
Joe Burrow
Justin Herbert— Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) January 24, 2022
So how did Jackson get lost in all of this?
Mahomes, Allen and Burrow are all receiving the spotlight now because of the playoffs, as they should. But that doesn’t explain the inclusion of Herbert, who has yet to reach the playoffs in his short two-year career. It would seem, then, the exclusion of Jackson is intentional, even though by the end of his second season, he not only had an MVP but also two playoff games under his belt.
As great a season as Herbert just had, it doesn’t compare to Jackson in 2019, who played two fewer games than Herbert but threw for nearly as many touchdowns and added over 1,200 yards rushing while leading his team to the AFC’s top seed…and his interception total was more than half of Herbert’s…and he was a year younger. Even division foe Burrow’s 2021 pales in comparison.
Of the young quarterbacks, Mahomes is the only other with an MVP. Yet, only sportsbooks seem to show Jackson that level of respect. He entered the season with +1500 odds on Tipico to win a second MVP, only trailing Mahomes, Rodgers, Allen and Brady.
The rest of the AFC teams when you realize you gotta play Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert for the next 15 years pic.twitter.com/uuWBATEO4Z
— Shane (@TheShaneRose) January 24, 2022
You better have a bonafide franchise QB to even sniff the AFC Championship in the next 15 years:
Mahomes
Allen
Burrow
Herbert— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) January 24, 2022
Recency bias could be a reason why Jackson is being snubbed, as he hasn’t played since Week 13. However, his game has always been under a microscope because of how different it’s perceived as being. People often hold a 1-3 playoff record against him, too, never mind he had to get there three out of his first four seasons to post that record. That also never really kept Manning’s name out of conversations when he lost six of his first nine playoff games including the first three.
Whatever the reason, Jackson’s talent is undeniable and his accomplishments can’t be erased. So when the future of quarterback in the NFL is discussed, it should include Mahomes and Allen and Burrow and even Herbert and Kyler Murray. But people should really stop leaving Jackson out of that conversation, because he’s more than proved he isn’t going anywhere.
