Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2019 NFL MVP, so drawing a comparison to him would be a big deal for any quarterback not named Brady, Rodgers, Manning, etc…
For a young, rising superstar quarterback like Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, though? Being compared to Jackson, widely considered one of the most explosive and exciting players the NFL has seen in some time, is a great thing.
Being considered better than him? Well, that is just phenomenal.
That’s exactly what one anonymous NFL defensive coordinator thinks about Allen, though. Speaking to The Athletic in an effort to help the website with its 2022 quarterback tier rankings, the following was said about the soon-to-be fifth-year quarterback.
“Josh Allen is a better version of Lamar (Jackson), and I love him as a football player,” a defensive coordinator said. “I still think he is erratic as a thrower and so he doesn’t scare me the same way Rodgers does. But he’s ascending.”
To the anonymous defensive coordinator’s point, Allen threw 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season compared to 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions from Rodgers in 2022. With that said, Rodgers is known as one of the most interception-averse quarterbacks of all time and he’s a back-to-back MVP with four total under his belt. Few, not named Brady, can compare to the ayahuasca-drinking superstar of the Green Bay Packers.
Allen does have a bigger arm than Rodgers, though, and can run like a dual-threat quarterback at 6-foot-5, 237-pounds. He’s also only getting better season after season.
Compared to Jackson, the same things can be said. Allen is much bigger than 6-foot-2, 212-pound Jackson so the injury concerns as a running quarterback aren’t there. He’s also arguably a more accurate passer, and he proved last season against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs that he’s able to perform in big moments.
Allen is a “gamer,” as they say.
“He has proven that he can handle big moments,” a personnel director said,” per The Athletic. “He still throws interceptable balls, but he gives his guys opportunities to make plays, and nine times out of 10, they are making those plays. You can see the maturity. He used to make really egregious throws. It creeps in every now and again, but he is a big-time passer.”