Steve Young is one of the greatest running quarterbacks in the history of football, but at the age of 25 Lamar Jackson is about to equal Young’s entire career rushing production.
Young retired with 4,239 career rushing yards. Jackson already has 4,124, which means he could top Young’s total as soon as Sunday’s game against the Browns, and will almost certainly surpass Young’s total within the next few weeks.
That would put Jackson at No. 5 in NFL history for career rushing yards by a quarterback. At No. 4 in NFL history is Russell Wilson, who has 4,785 yards and counting in his NFL career. Jackson is likely to catch Wilson, perhaps as soon as this year but more likely next year. Wilson is still adding to his career rushing total, but he’s doing so more slowly, averaging just 16 rushing yards a game this season.
At No. 3 in NFL history is Randall Cunningham with 4,928 yards, a total Jackson could top this year or next year as well. That would leave just Cam Newton (5,628 yards) and Michael Vick (6,109 yards) ahead of Jackson on the all-time list. Jackson is likely to be in first place while still in his 20s, and if he plays as long as Young did, to put the career quarterback rushing yardage record far out of reach for many years to come.