“Is Lamar Jackson becoming Kawhi Leonard?” - Colin Cowherd draws comparison between NFL and NBA stars
Lamar Jackson is turning the corner on what has become a full-blown marathon effort to get every last cent he can out of the NFL.
When the quarterback rose to providence, fans of the league were also served glimpses of Kawhi Leonard's name from time to time. Now, speaking on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," show host and analyst Colin Cowherd floated them as being very similar stories.
Will Lamar Jackson play every game of 2023?
Here's how he put it:
"Is Lamar Jackson becoming Kawhi Leonard? Think about it. Unquestionably. Top ten franchise talents. Neither trust anybody. Kawhi uses Uncle Dennis as his agent. Lamar used his mom and now an unlicensed agent. They've got a trust issue..."
Cowherd continued by explaining that injuries cropped up for both players at the same time:
"By like year four or five with Kawhi Leonard, it got odd and he got hurt and there was mystery and we never really got a straight answer. And now in year three or four for [Jackson], he's hurt and there's mystery and it's odd."
Lastly, he claimed that Jackson could have arrived at the perfect moment last season, but chose not to:
"We never really got a straight answer. Could he have played? I thought he was ready to play in late December. Then he never played. They're kind of becoming the same guy."
Lamar Jackson stares down three-peat season performance in 2023
At this point, a number of outcomes are possible for Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback could land with another team at any moment, or he could be forced to choose between his team and retirement.
Given the fact that he is in his mid-20s, retirement is as unlikely as it gets. That leaves him with the Ravens to contend with.
However, it has been a similar story for Jackson over the last two seasons. In both seasons, he played 12 games. In 2021, he threw for 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and in 2022, he threw for 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Injuries arrived at tough moments in both years, leaving the team with a borderline Wild Card record.
If he doesn't leave Baltimore in 2023, will he follow the same storyline for a third time? As the Ravens will likely know by now, twice is a coincidence and thrice is a pattern.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit The Herd with Colin Cowherd and H/T Sportskeeda.