ESPN analyst Louis Riddick has slammed an anonymous source over the comments made about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have been making a lot of headlines this offseason, all of it surrounding his contract negotiations with the quarterback set to enter the 2022 NFL season in the final year of his contract and seeking an extension.

The quarterback market has gone through some changes this offseason, most notably with the contracts handed out to Deshaun Watson with the Cleveland Browns (5 years, $230m, all guaranteed) and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals (5 years, $230.5m, $105m guaranteed), which might impact the sort of figure that Jackson, a former league MVP, could ask for. 

But to look at Jackson as a normal quarterback would be doing his skillset a massive disservice, because Jackson is not like any other quarterback, as he has developed into one of the best dual-threats in the game with both his arm and his legs, having put up 9,967 passing yards and 84 touchdowns through the air whilst rushing for a further 3,673 yards and 21 touchdowns.

And it’s that play that has seen Jackson come in for some fierce criticism from an anonymous source in a recent article. 

What has been said?

In an article for The Athletic, writer Mike Sando was putting the quarterbacks of the NFL into tiers based on a number of factors, a lot of which involved speaking to personnel around the NFL. One anonymous source has become the main talking point of the article, as they discussed Jackson’s skill set and what it might have on his legacy as a player going forward: 

“He’s so unique as an athlete and he’s really a good football player, but I don’t (care) if he wins the league MVP 12 times, I don’t think he’ll ever be a 1 as a quarterback. He’ll be a 1 as a football player, but not as a quarterback. So many games come down to two-minute, and that is why they have a hard time advancing even when they are good on defense. Playoffs are tight. You have to be able to throw the ball, and he is just so inconsistent throwing the ball. It is hit or miss.”

The comments have sparked plenty of reaction around the NFL, but former executive Louis Riddick has perhaps been the angriest of them all over the comments, and he wasn’t shy in letting his feelings known.

Louis can’t contain his anger

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Riddick slammed the anonymous source for his comments, extending beyond what the person said and diving further into the person who said it and what the comments said about them:

There is no doubt that Jackson is hearing all of this talk, and we can only really imagine what it is going to make him feel like as he prepares for the NFL season, but this could be something that comes back to haunt that anonymous source later in the year.

This might be the spark that sets Jackson off this season as he heads into his contract year, and it could well be that the rest of the league is going to have to pay for it come the end of the season if he and the Ravens are lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.