History of Lamar Jackson in Timeline

Lamar Jackson is a professional American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. A Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville, he was drafted by the Ravens in 2018. Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP and holds the record for all-time quarterback rushing yards. Widely considered one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, some analysts regard him as the greatest dual-threat quarterback ever.

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Full Timeline

1989: Players with 15+ completions, 3+ passing touchdowns, 1+ rushing touchdowns, and perfect passer rating.

Lamar Jackson joined Aaron Rodgers (2019) and Joe Montana (1989) as the only players in the Super Bowl era with 15-plus completions, 3-plus passing touchdowns, 1-plus rushing touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating in a single game.

January 7, 1997: Lamar Jackson Born

On January 7, 1997, Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. was born. He is now an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL).

2005: Death of Father and Grandmother

In 2005, Lamar Jackson's father died from a heart attack on the same day his grandmother died. At the time, Lamar was eight years old.

2006: Cardinal Ranking

Against #2 Florida State, Jackson completed 13-of-20 passes for 216 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in addition to 146 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He scored four of the five total touchdowns in the first half in a 63–20 rout of the Seminoles, the most points that the Seminoles had ever surrendered at the time. The game made Jackson the Heisman front runner, and gave the Cardinals a #3 ranking, their highest since 2006.

2010: Brady Unanimous MVP

Lamar Jackson was voted the MVP of the 2019 season. He became the second player after Tom Brady in 2010 to be voted unanimously and the second-youngest player to win, behind only Jim Brown.

2012: Ravens Last AFC Championship Game

In 2023, Lamar Jackson secured a second MVP award while taking the Ravens to their first AFC Championship Game since 2012.

2014: Last High School Game and Player of the Year

In 2014, Lamar Jackson's last high school game was against Miami Central High School, and he was named the Lou Groza Palm Beach County High School Player of the Year.

2015: Freshman Year at Louisville

In 2015, Lamar Jackson played in 12 games as a freshman at Louisville and was named the MVP of the 2015 Music City Bowl.

December 10, 2016: Selection as 2016 Heisman Trophy Winner

On December 10, 2016, Lamar Jackson was selected as the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, becoming Louisville's first Heisman Trophy winner and the youngest-ever recipient of the award.

2016: Heisman Trophy Winner

In 2016, Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy while playing college football for the Louisville Cardinals.

2016: Louie for Play of the Year

In 2017, Lamar Jackson won a Louie for being named the Adidas High Performance Male Athlete of the Year for his outstanding sophomore campaign, and also won a Louie for Play of the Year after the leap he made in the 2016 Syracuse game.

2017: ACC Athlete of the Year

Following the 2017–18 school year, Jackson was named the men's ACC Athlete of the Year for all conference sports, sharing honors with women's winner Arike Ogunbowale of Notre Dame basketball.

2017: Reported 40 yard dash time

In 2017 at Louisville, Jackson reportedly clocked in a 4.34 40 yard dash time.

2017: University of Louisville Awards

2017: Heisman Finalist

In 2017, despite a loss to Clemson, Jackson's statistics resulted in him being a Heisman finalist. He finished third in the Heisman voting.

January 5, 2018: Announced entry into 2018 NFL draft

On January 5, 2018, Lamar Jackson announced that he would enter the 2018 NFL draft. Many draft pundits doubted Jackson's quarterback abilities and suggested that he switch positions to wide receiver due to his athleticism, but Jackson remained adamant about his intention to play quarterback professionally.

June 5, 2018: Signed Rookie Contract with Ravens

On June 5, 2018, Lamar Jackson signed his rookie contract with the Baltimore Ravens, reportedly worth $9.47 million with a $4.97 million signing bonus.

2018: Ravens Record with Jackson as Starter

During the 2018 season, Lamar Jackson had his first two-touchdown game against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the seven regular season games that Jackson had started, the Ravens went 6-1 to close out the season. He also led all quarterbacks with 695 rushing yards and added five rushing touchdowns.

2018: Drafted by the Ravens

In 2018, Lamar Jackson was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the final pick in the first round of the NFL draft.

2018: Offensive Strategy Change

Once the 2018 season ended, the Ravens' coaching staff decided to abandon the offensive strategy that had been designed for Joe Flacco and create a new offensive philosophy centered around the specific skills of Jackson.

2019: Perfect Passer Rating

During a game in 2019, Lamar Jackson threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a perfect passer rating against the Bengals.

2019: Jackson's Madden NFL character speed upgraded

During the 2019 NFL season, Lamar Jackson's Madden NFL character speed was upgraded to 96, making him the fastest quarterback in that game's history.

2019: Single-Season Rushing Record

In 2019, Lamar Jackson broke Michael Vick's single-season rushing record for a quarterback and led all quarterbacks with 36 touchdown passes.

2019: Pope Francis gifted a signed Jackson jersey

In 2019, Pope Francis was gifted a signed Lamar Jackson Ravens jersey.

2019: MVP of 2019 Season

Lamar Jackson was voted the MVP of the 2019 season. He became the second player after Tom Brady in 2010 to be voted unanimously and the second-youngest player to win, behind only Jim Brown.

February 2020: BET Digital highlights Jackson

In February 2020, BET Digital highlighted Lamar Jackson as one of 40 of the most inspiring and innovative vanguards in African American culture.

March 2020: Lawsuit against Amazon

In March 2020, Lamar Jackson filed a federal lawsuit against Amazon, alleging unauthorized use of his name and image and infringement on his right of publicity in connection with "false advertising and endorsement of unlicensed and infringing articles of clothing."

August 2020: Endorsement deal with Oakley, Inc.

In August 2020, Lamar Jackson signed an endorsement deal with Oakley, Inc., a company that produces sunglasses, sports goggles, and football helmet visors.

November 26, 2020: Positive COVID-19 Test

On November 26, 2020, Lamar Jackson tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

December 2020: Distribution of gifts and toys to families

In December 2020, Lamar Jackson and his Dreamers Foundation distributed gifts and toys to more than 150 families in the Baltimore area.

2020: First Quarterback with Multiple 1,000-Yard Rushing Seasons

In 2020, Lamar Jackson became the first quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons and led the Ravens to a third straight playoff appearance.

2020: Pro Bowl Offensive MVP

In 2020, Lamar Jackson was the starting quarterback at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida, and was named the offensive Most Valuable Player.

April 30, 2021: Ravens exercise fifth-year option

On April 30, 2021, the Ravens exercised the fifth-year option on Lamar Jackson's contract, guaranteeing him $23 million for the 2022 season.

May 2022: Restaurant Business Venture

In May 2022, Jackson entered the restaurant business with the purchase of a soul food restaurant in Florida. Tasty's Soul Food Sports Bar & Grill in Pompano Beach will change its name to Play Action Soulfood and More.

September 2022: Cover Star for NFL's First VR Game

In September 2022, Jackson posted on his Twitter that he would be the cover star of NFL's first virtual reality (VR) game, "NFL Pro Era".

December 23, 2022: NFL Pro Era Release

On December 23, 2022, NFL Pro Era released on PlayStation VR and Meta Quest.

March 7, 2023: Ravens place non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson

On March 7, 2023, the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson.

September 17, 2023: Ravens defeat Bengals

On September 17, 2023, Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to a 27-24 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 24 of 33 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 54 yards.

October 16, 2023: NFL Pro Era II Release

On October 16, 2023, Jackson was again on the cover of the sequel game, NFL Pro Era II.

2023: Second MVP Award

In 2023, Lamar Jackson secured a second MVP award while taking the Ravens to their first AFC Championship Game since 2012.

January 3, 2024: Jackson to be inactive

On January 3, 2024, the Ravens announced Lamar Jackson would be inactive for the final game of the regular season.

2024: Breaks Vick's rushing record

In 2024, Jackson broke Michael Vick's NFL record for career rushing yards by a quarterback on Christmas.

2024: Jackson's Passing Yard Records

In 2024, Jackson started all 17 games, setting career highs in passing yards (4,172), passing touchdowns (41), and passer rating (119.6). He also became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 800 yards and pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season during 2024.

2024: Career Highs in Passing

In 2024, Lamar Jackson set career highs in passing, became the all-time leader in quarterback rushing yards, and tied the record for most perfect passer rating games with four.

2024: Jackson's achievements in the Divisional Round and AFC Championship Game

In 2024, during the Divisional Round, Jackson accounted for all four of the Ravens' touchdowns, leading Baltimore to a 34–10 victory against the Houston Texans. In the AFC Championship Game, Jackson completed 20-of-37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown. One of the completed passes was batted into the air and caught by Jackson himself who went for 14 yards. He also lost a fumble and threw an interception in the endzone as the Ravens lost 17–10.

March 2025: Jackson appears in Power Book III: Raising Kanan

In March 2025, Lamar Jackson made a cameo appearance as E-Tone in the Starz crime drama series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

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April 2025: Forever Dreamers 8 Scholars program launch

In April 2025, Jackson's Dreamers Foundation launched the Forever Dreamers 8 Scholars program, providing high school seniors with apprenticeship opportunities in Maryland's thoroughbred racing industry.