Iconic mobile quarterback questions whether Lamar Jackson is better than Michael Vick
Lamar Jackson is still in his 20s, but the quarterback has already locked up an all-time quarterback statistic. Following his game against the Houston Texans, the quarterback has rushed for more yards in his career than any other quarterback in NFL history.
Many have taken this to mean that Jackson is officially the best-rushing quarterback in NFL history. Speaking on Friday's edition of "First Take," Super Bowl 50 quarterback Cam Newton pushed back on that assumption.
"Here's something that I just thought about," Newton said. "What if Michael Vick had more designed quarterback early on in his career? What if Michael Vick played in this era? Would that [record] be something that could even be caught?" [00:50:01:07]
One notable objective difference between the two eras helping Jackson cannot be denied. Vick played a 16-game season in every year of his career. Jackson, meanwhile, has played in a 17-game season for several years.
Comparing Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick's career accomplishments
Lamar Jackson still has potentially another decade-plus of gas in the tank. Many more accomplishments lie ahead for Jackson who is only in his seventh season. Still, he has beaten out Michael Vick in many categories thus far.
In seven years, Jackson holds a 69-24 record with 164 touchdowns, 49 interceptions, and a 65.1% completion rate. Meanwhile, Vick logged a 61-51-1 record with 133 touchdowns and 88 interceptions.
This, of course, doesn't consider their abilities to rush the ball.
Jackson has 6,110 rushing yards, most from a quarterback. The Atlanta Falcons legend, meanwhile, concluded his career with 6,109 yards. However, Vick still holds the rushing touchdown advantage over Jackson for the moment with 36 touchdowns to Jackson's 33 touchdowns.
With two games left to play, Jackson also has a chance to crack that total. If he fails to do so by the end of January 5, he'll need to wait another nine months.
Will Lamar Jackson overtake Michael Vick in rushing touchdowns this season?
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "First Take," and H/T Sportskeeda.