Before their divisional round matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson got down to business when discussing his relationship with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
“Do I see Josh Allen? I don’t know, I’ve probably seen Josh early on in my career, going to events, like around Super Bowl time and stuff like that,” Jackson said. “I don’t really chill with people in the offseason, especially not other quarterbacks. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no problem, but we’re competing against each other. I’m trying to beat you. I’m not trying to be your friend.”
While some could take that quote and run with the idea that Jackson hates Allen, that isn’t the case.
Jackson is just a hyper-competitive NFL quarterback trying to leave a legacy. There’s nothing wrong with going into a playoff game like this. In the playoffs, one mistake could send the Ravens home empty-handed. Instead, Jackson remains in his state of competitiveness, making sure nothing gets in the way of him reaching the ultimate goal of becoming a Super Bowl champion.
However, Jackson noted that he had no ill will toward Allen. In his admission, he left no room for laughs.
“No doubt, when we’re older, we’ll probably laugh about it, but right now it’s serious,” Jackson said. “I ain’t laughing with you.”
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Both quarterbacks came into the NFL in the same draft class, but for Jackson’s entire career, he’s had to prove the doubters wrong, especially on draft night.
There was a narrative floating around that the All-Pro wouldn’t even be able to develop into a starting NFL quarterback, and Jackson should switch positions and become a wide receiver instead.
Well, the Ravens took a chance on Jackson with the 32nd pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, and since then, Jackson’s become a two-time MVP winner and one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
There could be some “animosity” towards Allen because the two quarterbacks are compared to each other constantly. Since they got selected in the same draft class, there’s an easy route to comparing how each has developed since being drafted.
Regardless, one of the quarterbacks will have an upper leg over the other following the result of their divisional matchup on Sunday evening.