When Chris Simms starts talking football, listeners, including some segments of the Baltimore Ravens‘ fan base, generally prepare for strong opinions. That’s part of the appeal and his notoriety. He has never been afraid to challenge conventional thinking or deliver a take that angers NFL fans.
Sometimes those opinions land. Sometimes they don’t. Either way, they rarely go unnoticed. Recently, however, he delivered something different. Instead of leaning into a controversial headline, he offered a fairly balanced defense of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, one that Ravens fans have been making for years.
Chris Simms pushes back on a familiar Lamar Jackson criticism
One of the more common criticisms directed at Jackson throughout his career centers on a simple question. What happens when his legs aren’t quite as dangerous as they once were? The implication, of course, is that Jackson’s success as a passer is somehow dependent on his ability to dominate defenses as a runner.
Simms doesn’t appear to buy that argument. During a recent conversation with Mike Florio, he pointed to Jackson’s body of work as a passer and challenged the idea that the Ravens quarterback can’t thrive from the pocket. Simms specifically referenced Jackson’s remarkable 2024 campaign, in which he threw 41 touchdown passes against just four interceptions.
Chris Simms checked Mike Florio while talking about Lamar Jackson’s career arc.
“Calm the F down.” pic.twitter.com/AN5plwAQQt
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 29, 2026
Simms is right in this case. His 2024 stats aren’t running-back numbers masquerading as quarterback statistics. That is an elite quarterback by any standard. It’s easy to argue that he should have earned his third MVP trophy. No disrespect is intended to Josh Allen. Jackson’s 2025 season wasn’t nearly as efficient. He finished with 21 touchdown passes and seven interceptions, good for a respectable three-to-one ratio but well below the standard he established the previous year. Context matters, though.
Jackson recently revealed that he battled injuries for much of the season, with the issues beginning in Week 3 and lingering throughout the remainder of the campaign. Suddenly, some of the statistical decline becomes easier to understand. That’s why Simms’ comments felt refreshing.
Too often, discussions about Jackson drift back toward outdated talking points that ignore how much he has evolved as a passer. Whether someone believes he’s the NFL’s best quarterback is certainly debatable. Suggesting he can’t function effectively as a passer without elite rushing ability is becoming increasingly difficult to defend.
The conversation eventually took a humorous turn when Florio accused Simms of being afraid of the Ravens fan base, a suggestion Simms clearly didn’t appreciate. Still, beneath the banter was an important point. Lamar Jackson has spent years proving he can beat defenses with both his arm and his legs. At some point, the football world may need to stop treating one of those abilities as if it’s somehow dependent on the other.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Chris Simms pushes back on concerns about Lamar Jackson now
