Trevor Lawrence signed the biggest contract in Jacksonville Jaguars history last week, tying him for the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history alongside Joe Burrow. The Jags signal-caller inked a new five-year, $275 million deal, with $200 million of that guaranteed, which also ranks as the third-largest total in NFL history.
Was Trevor Lawrence worth his new massive deal?
Trevor Lawrence will be entering his fourth year in the NFL for the 2024 season. He'll turn 25 in October. Many had suspected that a deal was to be in place sooner rather than later, and the Jags didn't hold back their wallets to make sure they secured him. As it always does, the market for quarterbacks continues to outdo itself. Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, and others have all reset it as of late, with Lawrence now on that list.
He might not have surpassed Deshaun Watson's $230 million guaranteed or Mahomes' $450 million value, but this is still a significant deal for a quarterback that has done much less than both, particularly Mahomes. But the Jags quarterback has recently stated there's no added pressure, despite such a lucrative long-term deal.
“Playing quarterback in this league is pressure anyways,” Lawrence said Thursday, per Michael DiRocco at ESPN. “I guess on the outside there's going to be a bigger expectation with the long-term deal and being the franchise quarterback and having the contract. It might change how other people look at it. But for me, I think I've kind of carried that responsibility anyways.
“Being a starting quarterback in this league is a big responsibility, and the team goes as you go, and I know that. So, I'm not going to add any pressure to myself just based on getting this contract. It doesn't really change what I expect of myself and what the team expects of me.”
When one's bank account becomes enlarged, so do the expectations; that's just the way of any business. But it's especially the case in the NFL. Lawrence came into the league with high expectations to begin with, touted as one of the best prospects in years coming out of Clemson, where he won a national championship and was a second-place Heisman finalist.
But with his arrival in Jacksonville also came heavily criticized former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, who was fired less than a season into his debut. The Jags went 3-14 that season, and Lawrence threw 12 touchdowns to 17 interceptions while having a completion percentage under 60 percent. At least that was his rookie season.
Lawrence greatly improved in his second season, however, under new head coach Doug Pederson, helping lead the Jags to a 9-8 record and back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, making it all the way to the AFC Divisional Round. Most notably, he cut down his interceptions to eight and increased his touchdowns to 25, with his completion percentage jumping to 66.3.
Trevor Lawrence needs to be the best in Jaguars history
It's last year that causes a bit of an issue with Lawrence's new deal. His completion percentage, yardage total, and touchdowns dropped just slightly, but his interceptions did jump back up to 14. His passer rating also dropped from 95.2 in 2022 to 88.5 in 2023. In particular, it was the last six weeks of the season where Lawrence struggled the most, largely thanks to being pretty banged up with everything from a concussion to ankle and shoulder injuries. His injuries and others had the Jags finish the season going 1-5 and missing the playoffs.
It's hard to be mad at that sort of thing, given that was out of Lawrence's and the Jags' control. Going 9-8 for a second season in a row was still respectable, considering the team hadn't had back-to-back winning seasons since 2004-2005. Where the pressure really lies with Lawrence and his deal is the pressure he has to continually pull this franchise out from the doldrums.
Being a franchise quarterback comes with a lot of added weight and pressure that not any other position does. Plus, as young as this franchise is, there's little history to fall back on if you're a Jaguars fan. In the team's history that dates back to 1995, only Mark Brunell is what the fanbase can fondly look back upon as a franchise quarterback. Lawrence, in just his three seasons, has quickly already become a massive part of the team's history. The tough part now is making sure he is the team's history by creating a successful future, becoming the franchise quarterback the team has always desired.
He's already fourth all-time in team passing yards (11,770) and passing touchdowns (58) and is 21-31 as a starter (including playoffs). He's also only the fourth player in Jaguars history to sign an extension out of their 17 first-round draft picks.
Not accounting for his rookie year, Lawrence has also etched his name alongside the top quarterbacks in the league as far as production over the last two seasons. He's fourth in passing yards (8,129), fourth in completions (757), and 10th in touchdowns (46), per StatMuse. However, if you were to account for his first full three seasons in the NFL, he has 60 total turnovers, leading the league last year with 14 interceptions and seven lost fumbles.
The market and need for a franchise quarterback dictated the details of Lawrence's deal, with obvious championship intentions in mind. And that's the numbers that will only really matter, the championships. How the future shakes out are left all up to Lawrence and his performances. The pressure is on now to win in Jacksonville.
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