Philadelphia Eagles legend LeSean McCoy has publicly challenged NFL analyst Colin Cowherd following comments made on Tuesday's episode of "The Herd With Colin Cowherd." During the broadcast, Cowherd moved the two-time league MVP down to the No. 11 spot on his quarterback rankings and explicitly stated that he was selling his stock in Jackson.
Speaking on the "Speakeasy" show, McCoy defended the Ravens quarterback, characterizing the criticism as "easy and lazy." McCoy stated, "But takes like this, I respect it. You know why? Cause he ain't there to play. And I ain't mad him for that. Cause it's easy and lazy to say things like that. Oh, we're done with Lamar. Lamar's on Bryce Young status. So like stuff like that, I don't mind him saying that because he don't know. He don't know what it is to be great as a player." The Eagles great further argued that if historical quarterbacks were judged solely by immediate championship success, many legends would have been dismissed prematurely.
McCoy acknowledged that while Jackson's performance last season was not his best, the criticism is often disproportionate. He emphasized that winning in the NFL is difficult and that players who have secured a Vince Lombardi Trophy deserve credit, but those who are close to winning should be given time rather than subjected to hate.
Jackson's reputation has faced scrutiny following an underwhelming 2025 campaign, which saw him drop 67 spots—from No. 2 to No. 69—in the NFL's Top 100 rankings. Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott suggested during an appearance on the "Get Up" podcast that there may be underlying concerns regarding Jackson's playstyle. "Success in this league is rented, not owned," Scott said. "Rent's due every day. The rent wasn't paid by Lamar Jackson last year. Jackson has 1,081 rush attempts. Cam Newton, throughout his career, had 1,118. Has the wear and tear started to catch up with the athletic quarterback?"
Concerns regarding Jackson's long-term durability have been echoed by others, including Mike Florio, who compared the quarterback to Michael Vick. Florio noted that Vick’s performance began to decline during his ninth NFL season, a milestone Jackson is set to reach in 2026.
