Among NFL players at a “career crossroads,” eligible for a contract extension but approaching the 2024 season without one agreed upon, quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s situation with the Jaguars ranks among the top 10 that could define the upcoming campaign and beyond, writes Christian D’Andrea of For The Win.
Lawrence, Jacksonville’s No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft, became eligible for an extension this offseason and had his first-round option picked up in April, locking him in with the Jaguars through the 2025 season with $25,664,000 fully guaranteed next year.
Negotiations between the Jaguars’ front office and Lawrence’s camp are ongoing, both sides have said throughout the summer. It has widely been speculated that Lawrence will demand top dollar or close to it as long-term quarterback contracts across the NFL continue to inflate.
No. 9: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence and Brock Purdy would be the crown jewels of the 2026 free agent class if they were to get there. But Purdy is only two years into his NFL career, making him ineligible for an extension until next winter (and even then, the 49ers have plenty of stars that need to be paid in the interim). Lawrence, on the other hand, just wrapped his third season as a pro and is already tied for second place in franchise history when it comes to most seasons quarterbacked with a winning record (with… two).
The former first overall pick remains more potential than production, having backslid in 2023 against the backdrop of injuries. He was an average quarterback for a roughly .500 team that year, but in 2022 he was a top 10 passer who engineered one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history to embarrass the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round.
A healthy Lawrence can climb back to those modest heights and exceed them. And given the cost of hope in Jacksonville, even a massive deal will seem cheap in comparison for the Jaguars.
Over three seasons and 50 starts with the Jaguars, Lawrence has completed 63.8% of 1,750 passes for 11,770 yards with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions, adding 964 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Jacksonville amassed consecutive winning seasons with Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson between 2022-23, an achievement the club had not reached since 2004-05. In that stretch, Lawrence completed 65.9% of his passes for 8,129 yards with 46 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, adding nine scores rushing.
The contract situations of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 1), Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (No. 4) and Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love (No. 7) ranked ahead of Lawrence on For The Win’s list.
With Detroit quarterback Jared Goff’s NFL record-breaking $73 million signing bonus inked in May being the latest domino to fall in the franchise quarterback’s arms race, a deal for any of these passers should be considered likely to shake up the market.