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Lamar Jackson Says He'd Rather Have Made MVP Speech on Video Than at NFL Honors
August 3, 2020
Lamar Jackson had the single greatest dual-threat regular season in NFL history in 2019. His playoff disappointment meant he couldn't even enjoy it.
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback said his frustration over his team's surprising divisional-round ouster by the Tennessee Titans made him not want to show up and accept his 2019 MVP trophy.
"I'd rather have made the speech on video," Jackson told NBC Sports' Peter King. "Like, 'Sorry I couldn't be there.' But I had to be there. I really didn't want to be on that stage."
Jackson added about the playoff loss, “I think about it a lot, to be honest with you. That’s where I wanna be. That’s when everything gets . . . crucial. It’s tough. I remember LeGarrette Blount DM’d me on Instagram. He was like, you know, playoffs is different from regular season. I’m like, nah. But it is, because it’s win or go home. And I’m tired of going home. I just can’t wait to get back in that same spot and perform at a whole ‘nother level.”
Jackson threw for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns against six interceptions, adding 1,206 rushing yards (an NFL record for a quarterback) and seven touchdowns—all in his first full season as a starter. However, the Louisville product said all the individual accolades don't compare to playoff success:
"In my fourth year playing youth football, I won the Super Bowl, and it I felt like that was the best time in my life. Like, I felt the whole team was MVP. We didn't care about no awards. Coach was like, 'Do you guys want to go to Disney World, or do you want rings?' The whole team was like, 'We want our rings!' So I just always felt like Super Bowls is what I want to do."
The Ravens entered the playoffs as the NFC's top seed and heavy favorites against the Tennessee Titans but fell in a disappointing 28-12 loss. Jackson threw for 365 yards and a touchdown and added 143 yards on the ground, but his three turnovers and the Ravens' inability to stop Derrick Henry ended their postseason dreams early.
Baltimore is 0-2 in the playoffs with Jackson at the helm.