Has Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence Earned Himself A Massive Contract?

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has said that the team will eventually get something done with quarterback Trevor Lawrence as far as a new contract is concerned.

Lawrence became eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and after Jared Goff landed a four-year, $212 million deal, the youngster’s price may have increased.

The question is, should the Jaguars play hardball with Lawrence?

When Jacksonville selected Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2021, the Clemson product was viewed as a generational talent. Some viewed him as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

But has Lawrence lived up to those expectations?

He had an awful rookie campaign, throwing 12 touchdowns and a league-worst 17 interceptions. He completed less than 60 percent of his passes and posted a passer rating of 71.9.

There was some legitimate concern about Lawrence following that disastrous debut season, but he made everyone quickly forget about it in 2022 after throwing for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight picks and leading the Jags to an AFC South division title. He also guided the team to a thrilling comeback playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round.

As a result, there were massive expectations for Lawrence heading into 2023, but he ended up taking a significant step back, finishing with 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Jaguars also failed to make the playoffs, losing five of their last six games to go 9-8.

To be fair, Lawrence did play through various injuries, but even when he was healthy, he simply did not play very well.

Taking those factors into consideration, should the Jaguars pay top dollar for Lawrence even though he has really only had one very good season out of three?

The thing is, it doesn’t really matter what Jacksonville may think: it may have no choice.

Quarterbacks get paid in the NFL. Even average to below-average ones, and give Lawrence’s talent, potential and draft position, he will almost certainly follow suit.

Plus, Lawrence has, at the very least, been better than average thus far, thanks much in part to his impressive sophomore season.

The Jaguars are not going to find anyone better than Lawrence to take over under center. At least not right now. It’s hard to find a franchise quarterback in this league, and Jacksonville knows that better than almost any other organization.

Lawrence surely knows this is, as well, which is why he holds a ton of leverage here. Goff is now getting paid $53 million annually. Has Lawrence accomplished as much as Goff yet? Certainly not, but he is just 24 years old, and he is still viewed as an elite talent.

That means the big pay day is coming.

The Jaguars are going to have to bite the bullet and pay Trevor Lawrence, regardless of whether or not they feel he is worth it.