Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are the front-runners for the 2024 NFL MVP award. Both will lock horns this Sunday in the Divisional Round as they aim at their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
The Baltimore Ravens QB is all geared up for the season-defining matchup. Jackson has raised the stakes even more by declaring he doesn’t want to be friends with Allen.
Lamar Jackson Has No Plans To Befriend Josh Allen Anytime Soon
Both were first-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, and both have competed against each other on several occasions. However, during Jackson’s press conference, the two-time NFL MVP highlighted that he didn’t hang out with Allen during the offseason.
“Do I see Josh Allen? I don’t know, I’ve probably seen Josh early on in my career, going to events, like around Super Bowl time and stuff like that,” Jackson said.
“I don’t really chill with people in the offseason, especially not other quarterbacks. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no problem, but we’re competing against each other. I’m trying to beat you. I’m not trying to be your friend.”
Jackson was then asked whether he would consider being friends with Allen when both have long retired. “No doubt, when we’re older, we’ll probably laugh about it, but right now it’s serious. I ain’t laughing with you,” Jackson added.
Peyton Manning Understands the Pain of Jackson and Allen
Another thing that Jackson and Allen both have in common is the criticism the duo receives for not doing their best on the biggest of the stages. NFL icon Peyton Manning understands this pain well.
It took Manning nine seasons to win his first Super Bowl — Jackson and Allen are in their seventh season. The 48-year-old recently appeared on the “This is Football with Kevin Clark” podcast and highlighted this shared agony.
“Look, Josh, kind of like Lamar, you know, I hate it because both of them can’t make it to the Super Bowl this year. I feel like both of them deserve to go,” Manning said. “You know, people are gonna say about one of them, ‘Ah, you know… they can’t do it.’ I mean, I lived in that world, right?”