Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016, and was selected by the Ravens with the final pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. A two-time recipient of the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and the all-time leader in quarterback rushing yards, Jackson is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, and by some analysts as one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks of all time.
Jackson became the Ravens' starting quarterback during his rookie season after an injury to Joe Flacco, leading the team to a division title and becoming the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game at 21. In his first full season, he led the NFL in touchdown passes and set the single-season rushing record for a quarterback, earning unanimous NFL MVP honors and becoming the fourth Black quarterback to win the award. In 2020, he became the first quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons and led the Ravens to a third straight playoff appearance.