With training camps open, list season has mercifully ended.
One of the most significant developments in this year’s collection of slow-time one-through-whatever efforts to differentiate players was the ridiculous placement of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the NFL Network players-only list of the top 100 players in the league.
Jackson finished at No. 69, down 67 spots from 2025.
Jackson was asked about the placement on the NFLN list during his first press conference of training camp on Wednesday.
“It is what it is,” Jackson said. “You know, I play football. I don’t care about rankings.”
That’s the right attitude. The rankings don’t mean anything. They’re something for the media to write and talk about and for the fans to react to.
Still, it’s an opportunity to fashion a legitimate chip on the shoulder for the season to come. But Jackson doesn’t seem to be motivated by actual or perceived slights.
He goes about his business. And, in relation to the rest of the league, there’s no way 68 other players go about their business better than him.
