Jon Gruden pounds table for Lamar Jackson in NFL MVP race: 'Good God, how is he not the MVP?'

As the 2024 NFL regular season reaches its closing stages and the MVP picture comes into focus, former Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden made his case for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to win the award based on his level of play and statistical production. Gruden made his argument while previewing the Ravens' Week 16 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers for his YouTube channel, and on the heels of Jackson completing 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-14 demolition of the New York Giants.

"Lamar Jackson is putting together his best body of work that I have seen. It's really incredible, his statistics, based on any NFL standard that you look at," Gruden said. "He's got 3,580 yards passing, 34 touchdowns and three interceptions. I mean, the only two guys that I could find that threw over 30 touchdowns and less than five interceptions was Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. So that's the kind of class that Lamar Jackson is throwing the ball with.

"And when you combine that with 743 yards rushing and three more touchdowns -- Good God, how is he not the MVP? I mean, it's gonna be a shame somebody's not gonna win it. But Lamar has played superb football."

Jackson is yet again in the conversation for MVP having already won the award in 2019 and 2023, and he is in position to become the sixth player in NFL history to win league MVP in consecutive seasons. Jackson would join Jim Brown (1958-59), Joe Montana (1989-90), Brett Favre (1995-97), Peyton Manning (2003-04, 08-09) and Aaron Rodgers (2020-21) in that category.

Gruden certainly can speak on the MVP race from an authoritative standpoint, as he was greatly responsible for Rich Gannon turning from a career journeyman into NFL MVP in 2002 as quarterback of the Raiders. In a twist of fate, however, Gannon's MVP season would end with him losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Gruden-coached Buccaneers.