Lamar Jackson named as a dark-horse candidate to win different NFL award

Can Lamar Jackson top himself with a more statistically impressive 2024 NFL campaign? If he does, he might garner some awards attention.

Jackson won his second MVP last season by throwing for career-highs in passing yards (3,678), completion percentage (67.2%), and yards per attempt 8.0), with 24 passing touchdowns as the Baltimore Ravens went 13-4. He also added 871 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.

Now, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon believes Jackson could be a dark-horse candidate for Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 if he can top those numbers.

"Quarterbacks rarely win this thing nowadays, but it does still happen. And there's a scenario in which the uniquely talented Jackson puts up mega numbers as both a passer and rusher to land this award without capturing MVP because of feats from other quarterbacks on more dominant teams."

Patrick Mahomes was the last quarterback to win OPOY, taking it home in 2018. Before him, Matt Ryan won it in 2016 (when he also won MVP). And Cam Newton won it in 2015. Prior to that, it was much more common for quarterbacks to win the award, with QBs winning it six times between 2000 and 2013.

The question is, will Jackson elevate his stats enough to win the award? Jackson does seem in line to continue his progression as a passer. The Ravens are seemingly shifting their offense more toward passing and Jackson is working on his skills as a play-caller at the line of scrimmage. If Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, and the emerging Isaiah Likely all stay healthy, the Ravens might have enough firepower to help Jackson put up big passing numbers.

It remains unclear if Jackson will run enough to stand out, though. Jackson actually ran for his fewest yards per game in 2023 since his rookie season. Although he lost weight this offseason to be more agile, with Derrick Henry in town, it seems like there will be fewer opportunities for Jackson to run. He also might want to be more picky about his rushing attempts to try to stay healthy.

Gagnon called Jackson a dark-horse for a reason. Although another award would be nice, Jackson will ultimately be judged in 2024 for how he leads the Ravens in the playoffs.