Former teammate says Ravens' Lamar Jackson has historic goal in mind

Free-agent signal-caller and current ESPN NFL analyst Robert Griffin III shared a quarterback room with Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson for three seasons and explained why Jackson wouldn't be satisfied with guiding the Ravens to a Super Bowl title this winter. 

"He will soak it in in that moment, and he'll appreciate it," Griffin told Jamison Hensley of ESPN about Jackson possibly hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the first time in February. "But I think as soon as it's over, he'll be right back saying the same thing: Super Bowl. He wants to be the greatest of all time."

While Jackson seems likely to claim the second Most Valuable Player Award of his career ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, his passing stats don't necessarily leap off a computer screen. According to ESPN, the 27-year-old ended the regular season ranked fourth among qualified players with a 64.6 adjusted QBR, fourth with a 102.7 passer rating, tied for 11th with 24 passing touchdowns and 15th with 3,678 passing yards. He also finished first among all quarterbacks with 821 rushing yards en route to guiding Baltimore to the No. 1 seed for the AFC portion of the playoffs. 

"That's where he's had the biggest growth," Griffin said about Jackson learning how to "manage" certain game situations. "He now understands that sometimes the dynamic play is taking the check down. Sometimes the dynamic play is throwing the ball away, living to fight another day."

Jackson hasn't been shy about the fact that he's noticed takes over the years that suggested he's little more than a running back playing under center. Griffin thinks winning a Super Bowl as a QB1 could prove to be an ultimate "I told you so" moment for the No. 32 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. 

"Do you want me to play receiver? I told you I was a quarterback," Griffin said about Jackson's mindset. "You want to call me a running back? I told you I was a quarterback. You want to say I shouldn't have been drafted in the top 10 or been the first pick? I told you I was going to bring them a Super Bowl."

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Ravens second among the betting favorites at +290 odds to bring a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore next month.