Lamar Jackson just came off a season in which he threw for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions across 13 starts, a significant step back from the historically dominant 41-touchdown, four-interception campaign he put together in 2024.
Much of that decline has been explained by injuries he later revealed began in Week 3 and never fully resolved. Now, with a new coaching staff under Jesse Minter in Baltimore and a contract extension expected to be finalized, the conversation about what Jackson still is and what he might become has arrived right on schedule.
Chris Simms Defends Lamar Jackson in an Exchange With Mike Florio
In a recent segment on Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio raised doubts about Jackson, but his co-host, Chris Simms, came to the Ravens star’s defense.
The exchange started with a familiar line of questioning. Florio raised the Father Time argument, suggesting the day Jackson’s legs slow down is the day his numbers will follow.
“Chris, you seem to be tiptoeing. You don’t want to be dragged by Ravens fans. You didn’t have an issue with the Eagles,” Florio said. “Let’s be realistic about it: the Father Time thing is going to happen.”
Simms was not having any of it. “Mike, who are you arguing with, and what are you getting triggered about? Calm the F down. I’m talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.”
The Father Time argument has followed Jackson throughout his career, and Simms’ pushback is rooted in a body of evidence that continues to complicate the premise.
The core of the criticism has always been that Jackson’s passing numbers depend on his rushing threat. Once defenses neutralize his legs, his arm will not be enough to sustain elite production.
Jackson’s 2024 season made that argument genuinely difficult to maintain. He threw for 4,172 yards with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions, posted a passer rating of 119.6, and became the first player in NFL history to throw 40 or more passing touchdowns with fewer than five interceptions in a single season.
He did all of this as a dominant rushing threat, yes, but also as a pocket passer operating at a level that defied any neat categorization of what he is.
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The 2025 decline is better understood through the prism of injury. Jackson himself revealed that the physical issues started early in the season and compounded over time.
A 21-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio across 13 starts, while below his own impossibly high standard, is still a positive ratio from a quarterback playing hurt.
Florio’s suggestion that Simms was avoiding criticism to placate Ravens fans drew a sharp response because it conflated two separate things. Simms was not defending Jackson out of loyalty to a fan base.
He was defending him because the record of what Jackson has done as a passer is, at this point, simply hard to argue with.
According to PFSN’s NFL QB Impact Metric, Jackson posted an impact score of 79.2 last season, ranking 12th in the league during his injury-interrupted 2025 campaign despite his statistical decline, a reflection of his floor even when things are not going well.
