Is his team the only thing stopping Lamar Jackson from becoming the next face of the NFL? At least, that’s what former NBA star Paul Pierce seemed to believe in his opinion of Jackson playing with the Baltimore Ravens. While the 46-year-old had no ill intentions, an ex-NBA star bringing down one of the NFL teams has not gone well with fans from the community.

2-time MVP, 2019 NFL passing touchdowns leader, fourth all-time in rushing yards at the position, one of the best quarterbacks, and Paul Pierce believes that the 27-year-old hasn’t reached peak recognition due to the team he is on. “I think for him to be the face of the league, he’s gotta get out of Baltimore,” he said during a discussion on FS1’s Speak. 

The 2008 NBA champ suggested that if Jackson was on a team like the Dallas Cowboys with the same stats and accolades, he’d be the face of the league by now. However, the show co-host Joy Taylor countered Pierce’s opinion, stating that the present face of the NFL — Patrick Mahomes — comes playing from a small market like Kansas City, Missouri and Baltimore isn’t all bad on its own.

But The Truth did not completely back down from his statement. He questioned if Baltimore had fans outside the city leading Taylor to point out, that it wasn’t so for Kansas either until Mahomes joined.

Well, the Ravens have seen a surge in popularity since Lamar Jackson joined the team. Exciting enough skills, and the QB doesn’t need a popular team to catapult him, the other two on the crew note. And maybe the NFL fans too who stood against Pierce’s remarks.

Fans react to Paul Pierce’s take on possibilities for Lamar Jackson after parting ways with Ravens

One user was of the opinion that Jackson might as well not care for it. “Stupid take. It’s not about Baltimore. I don’t think Lamar TRIES to be the face of the league. Not his style,” he wrote. Well, the Ravens quarterback did say he’d rather have a 100% PCL than risk putting his team in an unfavorable situation, playing through an injury. “that’s selfish to me,” he’d said. So getting all the recognition for himself may as well not be what he has on his mind.

Meanwhile, one of the users pointed out how Pierce once called out his favorites 5 years back and was awfully wrong about it. “This isn’t the first time Paul Pierce has called out a fan favorite of mine. 5 years ago he said that Giannis was overrated and that the Celtics vs Bucks series was over after one game. WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE NEXT FOUR GAMES!” he commented. Well, he can remove part of his complaint with Pierce for the NBA champ, in a recent podcast episode of KG Certified, termed Giannis as the top player in the East.

As for the take on Baltimore, this is not the first instance that NFL or NBA stars are sharing insights on the other league. In fact, Shannon Sharpe has become one of the leading voices from the NFL arena to time and again speak about the NBA. But some fans feel that Paul Piece lacks the knowledge to do the same for the NFL. “This sounds like somebody who doesn’t watch NFL yet has to report on it,” commented one such X user.

However, it’s not as if the entire reply section felt the same way. There were some who agreed with Pierce’s opinion. “He’s not wrong. When the ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012 they had coverage for maybe a month. After that it was crickets. Any other team gets coverage all the way until training camp,” wrote one such user.

Yet another X user sided with Paul Pierce as he wrote, “People complaining, but where’s the lie? If Lamar was on the Cowboys, he’d be the most popular player in the league by a HUGE margin. Cowboys are insanely popular, far outside what their late successes would warrant.” Yes, it’s true that the Dallas Cowboys do enjoy a major popularity over other teams, with multiple media reports mentioning them as the NFL’s most popular, valuable team. But Lamar’s performance is all that can speak.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.