BREAKING NEWS: LeBron James sparks controversy after comparing NBA and NFL.
Sometimes LeBron James seems more interested in the NFL than his own sport. But his latest take is off the mark. James says “ring culture” has infected the NBA, but is not part of the discussion for football.
“I don’t know why it’s discussed so much in our sport and why it’s the end-all-be-all of everything,” James said on his Mind the Game podcast. “You tell me Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley and Steve Nash weren’t f—n’ unbelievable? They can’t be talked about or discussed with these guys because this guy won rings? It’s like saying Peyton Manning can’t be in the same room with [Tom] Brady or [Patrick] Mahomes because he only has one ring [he has two]. They don’t ever discuss that in their sport. Or telling me that Dan Marino is not the greatest slinger of all time or he can’t be in the room with those guys because he didn’t win a championship.”
James is wrong about quarterbacks. They are defined by championships just as much as NBA superstars. No one discusses Marino’s legacy without mentioning that he didn’t win a Super Bowl. The only reason Brady is considered a greater quarterback than Manning is because he has seven titles compared to Peyton’s two. Eli Manning will eventually get into the Hall of Fame because he has two rings. John Elway was a better player early in his career but finally winning championships at the end meant everything.
Quarterbacks touch the ball on every offensive play. They are supposed to elevate their teammates through leadership. It’s a team sport, but they are most responsible for winning and losing. A QB without a title is immediately knocked down a peg on the all-time list.
The No. 1 storyline heading into the 2025 season is: Will the last two MVPs take the next step and win it all? But they’re not alone. Every top-tier QB is what LeBron would consider a victim of ring culture.
Here are the top 10 quarterbacks under the most pressure to win their first Super Bowl…
Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle-USA TODAY NETWORK (Jackson), Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images (Allen), Joe Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images (Burrow)
Ring or Bust
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson is the only two-time MVP winner without a title. He narrowly missed capturing his third MVP last season, falling just short of Josh Allen in voting. Jackson, 28, is still improving. He’s coming off his best statistical season (career high 119.6 passer rating) and has a great chance to win even more MVPs. If he doesn’t have a ring to complement individual awards, his career would be a disappointment.
There’s even more pressure to win for Jackson because he’s in Baltimore, an organization that knows how to win at the highest level. He doesn’t have the built-in excuse of playing for Buffalo or Cincinnati, teams that have never won a Super Bowl. Jackson’s own shortcomings in the postseason add to the scrutiny. We used to be able to say that he didn’t have any receivers or that he had the wrong offensive coordinator. The Ravens have fixed those problems. And this season, their defense should get back on track.
Jackson’s legacy is on the line every season from here on out and the only way to meet expectations is to win the Lombardi Trophy. Good news for Ravens fans: Jackson told reporters earlier this week that “we’re going to have vengeance on our mind” after last season’s disappointing playoff loss.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Before Peyton Manning won his first ring, he lost two playoff games to Brady. Allen is 0-4 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the postseason. Just because Mahomes keeps getting in his way and Buffalo’s defense has come up short in big moments, that doesn’t change the standard for Allen — he will be judged on his ability to win a championship.
Allen has played well in the playoffs. He’s 7-6 with a 101.7 passer rating. But the margin of error is so slight at that level and a couple of ill-fated mistakes cost the team. He has to play better in the final moments come January.
Getting close this often and not finishing the job stings even more for the Bills, who haven’t had this kind of success since they lost four straight Super Bowls in the early ‘90s. Allen puts plenty of pressure on himself. Add in burning desire of one of the NFL’s most loyal fan bases and there’s a lot riding on Allen’s play.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow is as talented as Jackson or Allen. And unlike them, he’s been to a Super Bowl. He falls on this list because he’s handicapped by an organization that doesn’t always do the right things to win a championship.
The Bengals did re-sign Burrow’s top receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but they don’t want to pay their star defensive player Trey Hendrickson and have done very little to address that side of the ball.
Cincinnati feels like it’s moving away from a title instead of toward it. The Bengals wasted an all-time quarterback performance from Burrow last season. He threw for 4,918 yards, 43 TDs and just 9 INTs while completing 70.6% of his passes and they still missed the playoffs.
The team’s struggles raise questions about Burrow’s future. If Burrow wants to win a championship, will he have to emulate his fellow Ohio native LeBron and leave his home state? Carson Palmer got frustrated with the Bengals and left at 31. While Burrow seems content now, he is too good to not win at the highest level before his career is over.
Ring Sure Would Be Nice
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Blame Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers coach told the Rich Eisen Show that he “must get Justin Herbert to the Hall of Fame.” Harbaugh and Herbert felt pretty far from that goal when he threw five interceptions in the playoff loss to the Texans. But his regular-season peaks and obvious arm talent are enough to earn this level of expectation.
Justin Herbert
© Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
While the playoff results haven’t been there, Herbert could be in the right spot to make a leap. Harbaugh was ahead of schedule getting L.A. to the playoffs in his first season. Now Harbaugh has been able to build more of his style of team and can put Herbert in a better position. Harbaugh got San Francisco to the Super Bowl in his second year and could help Herbert take that step before long.
5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
The pressure for Goff is about his situation more than who he is as a player. When a driver has the best car in the race, they’re supposed to win. Goff is tasked with steering a Ferrari of an offense in Detroit. If the trajectory of the Lions continues despite losing both coordinators, Goff has to take them to a title. If he gets there, Goff, who turns 31 in October, will leap into the illustrious “elite quarterback” conversation.
6. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
You can argue Purdy is a system quarterback. That doesn’t change the assignment in San Francisco. He has to win it all or his career, his head coach Kyle Shanahan and this team will be considered a letdown. Purdy was a play or two away from getting it done in ’23. He’s surrounded by stars like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk. The Niners signed their quarterback to a five-year, $265 million extension. Only a Super Bowl victory will be enough to make that investment pay off.
Dak Prescott and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Right now Prescott’s reputation has more to do with his salary than his performance. If he stopped playing today, he’d be considered good but wildly overpaid at $60 million per season. To fix that narrative, Prescott needs postseason success. Dallas hired a coach Prescott is comfortable with in Brian Schottenheimer and added a potential strong No. 2 receiver in George Pickens. With how his career has gone so far, Prescott needs a ring to get serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.
The Next Wave
8. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
After Stroud took a step backward in his second season, the Texans got aggressive to support their young quarterback. They fired their offensive coordinator and reworked the offensive line. Even with their failure to protect him last season, Stroud has led the Texans to two straight playoff trips. With a potentially dominant defense, Houston could eventually put everything together and make a championship run.
9. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Daniels is coming off arguably the greatest rookie season by any quarterback in NFL history. He threw for 3,568 yards, 25 TDs and 9 INTs, while adding 891 yards and 6 TDs on the ground. When you reach the NFC Championship game in your first season, a future ring is the only goal that matters.
10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love can thank Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers (and Bart Starr) for setting the bar at championship in Green Bay. In ’23, Love and the Packers had eventual NFC champion San Francisco on the ropes in the playoffs. Last season, Love hurt his knee in Week 1 and the team never really got back on track. He’s on this list because he makes plays that are reminiscent of Rodgers and Favre. Love needs to develop more consistency to fulfill the promise he’s shown early in career.
