Lamar Jackson just misses No. 1 spot in NFL Top 100 despite winning second MVP

The reigning league MVP came in at No. 2 behind Tyreek Hill but still ahead of Patrick Mahomes at No. 4.

The NFL Top 100 Players of 2024 countdown wrapped up on Friday and the fifth and final Baltimore Ravens player to be recognized as one of the best in the league among their peers was franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson who surpassingly came in at No. 2.

This marked the two-time First Team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler’s fifth straight year being voted to the list but unlike the last time he was coming off an MVP-winning season, he didn’t claim the top spot. While he was still the top-ranked quarterback on the list ahead of Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, he still came in second behind eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins.

At one point during the first half to three-quarters of the season, a strong argument could’ve been made that Hill was the clear-cut front-runner for league MVP. He was on a record-setting pace before tailing off down the stretch due to injuries causing him to be limited in some games and sit out Week 15 entirely. Ultimately, he didn’t even beat out First Team All Pro running back Christian McCaffery of the San Francisco 49ers for AP and Pro Football Writers of America honors for Offensive Player of the Year.

Last year, Jackson plummeted to No. 72—his lowest ranking since making his debut in 2020—after he missed the final stretch of games for the second year in a row to close out the 2022 season. In 2023, he bounced back in a major way in the first year of offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s scheme, appearing in 16 games and having many of his best performances against the top competition in the league including some under a national spotlight in primetime.

Jackson set new career highs in completion percentage (67.2) and passing yards (3,678) and recorded 29 total touchdowns—24 passing and five rushing—and led the team in rushing for the fifth straight year with 821 yards with an NFL-leading 5.5 yards per carry.

In total, the Ravens tied for the fourth-most players voted to this year’s list with five and only the New York Jets (six), Dolphins (eight) and 49ers (nine) had more. To recap their 2024 total, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike was the first revealed at No. 61 followed by running back Derrick Henry at No. 49, safety Kyle Hamilton at No. 43, inside linebacker Roquan Smith at No. 19 and finally Jackson as the highly questionable second spot.