As his performance once placed him as an MVP, Lamar Jackson is helping to lead the Baltimore Ravens. He is the dynamic quarterback who was unanimously chosen as the 2019 NFL MVP after a historic season with the Baltimore Ravens. He won the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville and was selected 32nd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Ravens.

Lamar Jackson: 9 Lesser-Known Personal and Career Facts That Fans Should Know! 

Who is Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson is an American football quarterback known for being the number 1 expert in playing the “read option”: a tactic where the quarterback analyzes the defensive choices at the time of the engagement and then decides whether to transmit to his runner, to run himself or to make a pass. 

Lamar currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). 

Appreciated or criticized, he is a major player who had a university career at Louisville. Lamar was later selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In Louisville, he is well known for winning the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award and was a Unanimous All-American as a sophomore in 2016. 

Who is Lamar Jackson’s girlfriend?

As of 2022, despite keeping a low profile, we know that Jackson’s girlfriend is Jaime Taylor. The couple met during Lamar’s college days at the University of Louisville and began dating shortly. 

Where did Lamar Jackson study?

The future NFL athlete enrolled at Boynton Beach High School where he began his football career. He then joined the University of Louisville after being recruited by Lamar Thomas, Louisville’s top recruiter at the time.

At Boynton Beach High School, Lamar won the Lou Groza High School Player of the Year Award.

Who are Lamar Jackson’s parents?

On January 7, 1997 in Pompano Beach, Florida, Lamar Jackson was born to His parents Felicia Jones and Lamar Jackson Sr. 

Raised by his mother Felicia Jones (because his father, Lamar Johnson Snr., died in a car accident when the star was young), Lamar grew up feeling very supported by his mother. 

Since she lost her husband, she was supportive of her son and also a huge fan and source of help in his life and football career. To this day, Jones still runs the sprints and also coaches up-and-coming footballers in Louisville.

What is Lamar Jackson’s height?

He has his size and build thanks to his flexibility on the pitch. Jackson stands tall at a height of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) while he weighs 221 lb (100 kg).

9 Interesting Facts About Lamar Jackson’s Life:

1. His father and grandma died on the same day: 

Jackson grew up with his siblings and his single mother in Pompano Beach. His father died in an accident in 2005, and his grandmother died on the same day.

2. His friendship with Marquise Brown:

His major in college was communication science. He is good friends with Marquise Brown, with whom he grew up and who was also signed to the Ravens. 

3. Here’s why he withheld 40-yard dash drills: 

Some have accused him of not being a “real” quarterback because of his frequent runs, and scouts even recommended a position change. As a result, during the NFL Combine, Jackson withheld 40-yard dash drills and all other athletic drills to draw attention to his passing game.

In terms of his passing progress, Lamar Jackson is not just a runner and each passing week only confirms this impression. With 33 touchdowns for only 6 interceptions, a completion rate of 66%, the number 8 of the Ravens displays alluring statistics, once being in first place in the League in the number of TDs in the pass. Not bad for a player who was widely doubted upon his arrival in the NFL on his ability to raise his level of play. And this is not his last outing, with five successful TDs in the pass against the air defense of the Jets, which will change a dynamic that is racing.

4. The 40 yard Dash was avoided thanks to a scout: 

Lamar deciding not to run the 40-yard dash was one of the big disappointments of the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. Participating in that event probably would have done very little for the Louisville product, we all knew he was fast but, to be selfish, it would have been cool to see how quickly he was being graded against other NFL players.

Lamar stepping down has to do with a Los Angeles Chargers scout. This scout was apparently the first from an NFL team to ask Jackson about the possibility of him working as a receiver, Jackson revealed on a Baltimore Ravens podcast. 

“I was told about it by a Chargers scout,” Jackson recently told the Raven podcast. “He was the first to tell me about it. I’m like, “What?” He caught me off guard with that. At first, I even made a face like “What?” I thought he was trying to be funny but he kept going. So he got out of proportion.

‘So that was the first time I heard it, I was like, ‘What? ‘Like he was like, ‘Oh, Lamar, you gonna go out for wide reception roads? ‘I was like. . . ‘Nope . . . I don’t remember saying that, I don’t remember telling you that I was going out for the receiving roads. ” I’m like, ‘No, quarterback only. “So that made me not run the 40s and participate in all the other stuff.

His decision seems logical from the point of view: he didn’t want teams to think he was anything other than a quarterback. If he had run 40 times, teams may have echoed the Chargers and asked him to pass receiving drills as well. The decision didn’t end up hurting Jackson, as he ended up going to the Ravens in the first round.

5. Super record: 

Facing the Jets, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson broke the record for yards gained on the run by a quarterback in one season back in 2019. This was during his MVP season, and he became the first player in league history to total more than 3,000 passing yards and more than 1,000 rushing yards in a season.

His record of 1103 yards was held since 2006 by Michael Vick, the wisp of Arizona.

6. His toughest season was 2021: 

Jackson came off a career-worst 13 interceptions and missed a game-high five games, including the last four games where he suffered from both a stomach and ankle injury.

7. Lamar Jackson’s skills and style: 

While evaluating him against NFL standards for the position will miss him. Although he has rare speed and athleticism and can also win matches on his own. His precision is clearly uneven and teams have to decide what level of precision they are willing to live with versus his ability to create explosive plays. He also has the ability to counter mental errors and turnovers with a high number of explosive and decisive plays. He also has star potential, but his success will largely depend on his ability to stay healthy.

8. Winning the NFL MVP:

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson became the second player in history to receive the Associated Press’ unanimous NFL Most Valuable Player. Tom Brady, for the 2010 season, was the only other player to have received the 50 votes of the journalists who present each year the most prestigious prize of the NFL. In 2019, Jackson set a record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,206) for an offense that amassed more yards in this manner than any other in league history (3,296). Incidentally, the Ravens won 14 of their 16 games, but were upset in the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans, themselves a ground threat.

On an individual level, it was difficult to see how the MVP trophy of the season could escape Lamar Jackson, whose personal performances naturally reflect the results of his franchise. Because, beyond simple statistics, the impact of the Ravens quarterback is reflected in a line of results that compiles twelve wins for two losses. The first team to validate its ticket for the playoffs this season, Baltimore was able to advance as the big favorite to succeed the Patriots.

9. Lamar Jackson’s Career Highs and Lows:

2015:

He started his career at Louisville in 2015, having played in 12 games and made eight starts. He also completed 99 passes (135 of 247) for 1,840 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 960 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. At the same time, he performed poorly as a passer, throwing eight interceptions for twelve touchdowns. The accuracy of his passes was 55%. In the Music City Bowl game, the Louisville Cardinals beat the Texas A&M Aggies 27-21, with Jackson being named the l MVP after passing for 227 yards with two touchdowns and rushing for a Music City Bowl record with 226 yards. 

In the first game of his sophomore year, against the UNC-Charlotte 49ers, he set a school record for total touchdowns with eight, all in the first period. In the game against Syracuse, he also completed 20 of 39 passes for 411 yards, a touchdown, and also an interception, with 199 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns, with all five touchdowns coming in the first half.

He went on to complete 13 of 20 passes for 216 yards, threw for a touchdown and an interception, and he also had 146 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. He scored 4 of 5 total touchdowns in the first half. 

2016:

In 2016, he became Heisman’s favorite as the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner over fellow finalists Deshaun Watson, Dede Westbrook, Jabrill Peppers and Baker Mayfield. He also became the first Louisville Heisman Trophy winner in school history and the youngest recipient of the award.He won numerous awards at the University of Louisville on December 10, 2016. He also won a Louie for being named Adidas Male High Performance Athlete of the Year for his second outstanding campaign in 2017. He also won a Louie for Play of the Year after the jump he made in the 2016 Syracuse game.

2017:

In the 2017 season, his first test of the season came in the home opener on September 16. Despite the 47-21 blowout the Tigers sustained, he didn’t let the numbers get in the way of his playing ability. With his stellar stats, he made his return to New York as a Heisman runner-up for the 2017 season. He then finished in 3rd place in the Heisman vote, after losing to Baker Mayfield and Bryce Love. He also played in 13 games, 27 touchdowns, finishing with 3,660 passing yards, and 10 interceptions.

He was later named ACC Male Athlete of the Year for All Conference Sports, sharing the honors with female winner Arike Ogunbowale of Notre Dame basketball in the 2017–18 school year.

2018:

In January 2018, Jackson announced his candidacy for the NFL Draft. He was selected 32nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round. Lamar made his NFL championship debut against the Buffalo Bills in Game 1 of the 2018 season. He came on the field in the second half of the game and scored 39 rushing yards on seven attempts.

At the end of the 2018 season, the coaching staff decided to abandon the offensive strategy put in place for quarterback Joe Flacco and created a new offensive philosophy centered around Jackson’s specific skills. The implementation of this new philosophy involved the modification of each game action of the playbook ( playbook ) and the terminologies used with specific choices of players during the draft or during the acquisition of free agents, these complementing Jackson’s skills.

2020:

Jackson had 26 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. He rushed for 2,757 passing yards and ran for 1,005 rushing yards with a passing rating of 99.3.

Jackson led his team to a record of 11 wins and 4 losses, missing a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to illness from COVID-19.

After he recovered from the illness, the Ravens were tied 6-5. However, Jackson was able to lead his Ravens to the playoffs for the third straight season with five straight wins and a final Regular Season (NFL) record of 11 wins and 5 losses.

In the first wild card game of the playoffs, the Ravens defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-13, taking revenge for their loss the year before. With this win, Jackson was able to record his first success in the playoffs, which was also the first playoff win for his head coach John Harbaugh since 2014.

In the divisional round that followed, the Ravens faced the Buffalo Bills. In that game, Jackson threw for 162 yards and rushed for 34 yards. He had an interception in the 41st minute, which was carried back by Buffalo to the Ravens’ end zone.

Jackson then suffered a concussion and had to end the game prematurely. The Ravens lost the game by a final score of 3-17, ending Jackson’s season. 

Subsequent to the season, the Ravens exercised an option to extend their contract by an additional year, leaving Jackson under contract until at least 2023.

2021:

Jackson was intercepted four times, his career high during Week 12 (16–10 win over the Cleveland Browns). 

Against the Browns in Week 14 (22-24 loss), Jackson injured his ankle after contact with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the first quarter and missed the rest of the game. This injury caused him to miss the rest of the season.

Jackson was selected for the second time in the Pro Bowl 43 in 2021.