Category: Trevor Lawrence

Surgeries completed for Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, TE Evan Engram

Surgeries completed for Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, TE Evan Engram

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and tight end Evan Engram had successful surgeries to address season-ending injuries this week, Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said on Wednesday.

Lawrence underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, which he suffered in Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After missing two games due to the injury, Lawrence returned to play in Week 13 against Houston but sustained a concussion on an illegal hit by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

The combination of injuries led Jacksonville to place Lawrence on its injured reserve on Dec. 4, ending his season. He cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol on Sunday, allowing him to schedule his shoulder operation for Tuesday.

Engram hurt his shoulder against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, which he was originally expected to play through, per Pederson. However, testing revealed Engram suffered a labrum injury that required surgery, which he had on Monday.

Like Lawrence, Engram was moved to the Jaguars’ injured reserve on Saturday, ending his campaign.

“Everything was positive in both players’ cases and just now looking forward to recovery time,” Pederson said Wednesday.

Lawrence finished his season having completed 172-of-284 passing for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and rushed for 119 yards and three scores, in 10 starts.

Engram, who also missed Weeks 2-5 with a hamstring injury, caught 47 passes for 365 yards and one touchdown in nine starts.

While it is unclear if Lawrence and Engram will be cleared to participate in organized team activities (OTAs), which occurred in May this past offseason, Pederson anticipates both players recovering fully from their surgeries by sometime this spring.

“Don’t know that yet. It’s hard to put a timeframe on it, you don’t want to rush it,” said Pederson. “I guess the thing is too, in both cases, they’re not long-term, lengthy-type surgeries [or] recovery time. So, at some point this spring they’ll be ready to go.”

Trevor Lawrence pens note to Jaguars fans after season-ending injuries

Trevor Lawrence pens note to Jaguars fans after season-ending injuries

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence addressed his season-ending injuries in an Instagram post Tuesday, sending a public message to fans for the first time since being placed on Jacksonville’s injured reserve on Dec. 4.

Lawrence suffered a concussion from an illegal tackle by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in Jacksonville’s Week 13 loss to Houston. He remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol as of Wednesday, per Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson.

Lawrence entered the game with a left shoulder injury, an AC joint sprain, that forced him to miss Jacksonville’s matchups with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions in Weeks 10-11. He intends to have surgery to treat the injury after clearing the concussion protocol.

“Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,’ ” Lawrence wrote.

“I’m going to miss being out there with my brothers the rest of the way. This isn’t at all what I pictured this year looking like. I’ve been leaning heavy on this verse lately. I don’t know why things happen sometimes but I do believe how you respond is more important than what happens.

“I’m so blessed to be able to do what I do and I’m not going to let some adversity muddy the vision! Better days are ahead.”

Detailing the quarterback’s recovery process, Pederson noted Wednesday that Lawrence has remained around the team while in the concussion protocol.

“He still has to go through the steps,” Pederson explained. “Still comes in the building every day and just goes through it as if he were getting ready to play a game this weekend.

“But I think in this case too, you’re not going to speed anything up. You’re not going to either push him through or rush him through because you’ve still got to be careful with all of it, but at the same time, we kind of go at his pace and let him, how he feels and his symptoms and all that kind of stuff, and just go step-by-step.”

Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the Jaguars in June, completed 172-of-284 passes for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions over 10 starts this season. He also rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

In 60 games since becoming Jacksonville’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence has completed 63.3% of his passes for 13,815 yards with 69 touchdowns and 46 interceptions. He has added 1,083 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing.

Doug Pederson explains Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence going on IR

Doug Pederson explains Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence going on IR

Trevor Lawrence’s 2024 season is over, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson confirmed on Friday.

The Jaguars placed Lawrence, their starting quarterback, on injured reserve Wednesday, sidelining him for at least four games as he recovers from a concussion suffered against the Houston Texans on Sunday and a left shoulder injury from Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The latter injury knocked Lawrence out of two games, Weeks 10-11, against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

With Jacksonville now 2-10 and eliminated from postseason contention, Pederson explained that the timing of Lawrence’s combination of injuries made shutting down his season sensible.

“Obviously, the reason for IR is not the injury from Sunday. It’s not that. It’s more the shoulder,” Pederson said. “But, you know, it’s obviously, listen, where we are in our season, you know? The chance for him to get healthy right now as he looks into the offseason and next season as well, getting healthy.

“Obviously the injury Sunday doesn’t help, right? But it’s just, I think the right decision right now to go ahead and just shut him down and let him get fully healed. Clear the protocol first, obviously, and then tackle the other injury later on. So that’s our main focus right now, to make sure he’s 100% and get him healthy and get himself ready for the offseason.”

Lawrence plans to have surgery on his shoulder injury, a sprained AC joint, in the coming weeks after clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Pederson acknowledged that Lawrence did not aggravate his shoulder sprain against the Texans but suggested the quarterback was likely to undergo surgery to treat the injury at some point. His concussion accelerated that timeline.

“It didn’t get any worse. He didn’t take any shots or hits on it,” Pederson noted.

“It’s just a matter of, it was gonna probably eventually come to that, you know, surgery. But now with everything and where our season is too, this is the — there’s never a good time, but if there is a time, this would be it.”

Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Jacksonville in June, completed 172-of-284 passes for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 starts this season. He added 119 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

Report: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence planning shoulder surgery

Report: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence planning shoulder surgery

Now on Jacksonville’s injured reserve after suffering a concussion on an illegal hit in Week 13, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is planning to undergo surgery to repair an AC joint sprain in his left, non-throwing shoulder in the coming weeks, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday.

The combination of injuries will end Lawrence’s 2024 season, Rapoport reported.

Lawrence missed the Jaguars’ Week 10-11 matchups with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions due to his shoulder injury, which he suffered in Jacksonville’s 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9.

Lawrence returned to play on Sunday against Houston. He scrambled for a six-yard gain on his 19th snap of the game and collided with launching Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to conclude the run, inducing his concussion.

Al-Shaair was penalized for unnecessary roughness on the tackle and ejected from the game. The NFL suspended Al-Shaair for three games without pay on Tuesday.

Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Jacksonville in June, finishes his 2024 season having completed 172-of-284 passes for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 starts. He added 119 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

Jaguars place QB Trevor Lawrence on injured reserve

Jaguars place QB Trevor Lawrence on injured reserve

The Jaguars placed quarterback Trevor Lawrence on their injured reserve Wednesday, knocking him out of at least Jacksonville’s next four games as he recovers from a concussion suffered in Week 14 against the Houston Texans.

Lawrence would be eligible to return for Jacksonville’s Week 18 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. That is not considered likely after the Jaguars were mathematically eliminated from 2024-25 postseason play on Monday.

Lawrence returned to play for the Jaguars against the Texans after missing Jacksonville’s previous two games with an AC joint sprain in his left, non-throwing shoulder.

He took an illegal hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair as he slid to conclude a six-yard rush in the second quarter on Sunday. Jacksonville and Houston’s benches cleared and brawling ensued as Lawrence was tended to by medical staff, and eventually escorted from the field on a cart.

Al-Shaair and Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones were penalized and ejected from the game, and Jacksonville tight Evan Engram was also flagged. The NFL suspended Al-Shaair for three games without pay on Tuesday.

Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Jacksonville in June, has completed 172-of-284 passing for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 starts this season. He has added 119 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

Mac Jones will take over as Jacksonville’s starting quarterback with Lawrence sidelined. He has completed 57-of-92 passes for 512 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in five appearances this season.

C.J. Beathard will operate as Jones’ backup moving forward. The Jaguars signed quarterback John Wolford to their practice squad on Tuesday.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated. 

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence won’t practice to begin Week 14

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence won’t practice to begin Week 14

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will not practice on Wednesday as he begins Week 14 in the NFL’s concussion protocol, Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson told reporters Wednesday.

Lawrence entered the concussion protocol after taking an illegal hit by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in Jacksonville’s 23-20 loss to Houston on Sunday, leading to skirmishes between the teams. The NFL suspended Al-Shaair for three games without pay on Tuesday.

Mac Jones replaced Lawrence at quarterback for the Jaguars and finished the game 20-of-32 passing for 235 yards with two touchdowns.

Lawrence returned to action against Houston after missing Jacksonville’s last two games with an AC joint sprain in his left, non-throwing shoulder. Jones completed 31-of-51 passes for 249 yards with three interceptions and a fumble in those games, losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

Lawrence is 172-of-284 passing for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games this season. He has added 119 yards and three touchdowns rushing.

Jacksonville’s Week 14 matchup with the Tennessee Titans is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair suspended for hit on Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence

Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair suspended for hit on Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence

The NFL issued Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair a three-game suspension without pay on Tuesday for his illegal hit on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence during Jacksonville’s 23-20 loss to Houston in Week 13, citing “repeated violations of rules intended to protect the health and safety of players and promote sportsmanship.”

Al-Shaair launched at Lawrence in the head and neck area as he slid to conclude a six-yard rush in the second quarter, leveling the quarterback. Lawrence was removed from the game on a cart and entered the NFL’s concussion protocol shortly thereafter.

Al-Shaair was penalized for unnecessary roughness and ejected from the game. The same was true for Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones, who threw a punch at a Texans player as fighting ensued between the teams.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued Al-Shaair’s suspension and wrote him the following letter, which the NFL published.

“During your game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 1, with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter, you were involved in a play that the League considers unacceptable and a serious violation of the playing rules. Video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide…You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact.”

“After the illegal hit, you proceeded to engage in a brawl, which you escalated when you pulled an opponent down to the ground by his facemask. After the referee announced that you were disqualified for the hit and your unsportsmanlike acts, you removed your helmet and reengaged with your opponent while walking down and across the field, which started another physical confrontation near the end zone.

“Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL…Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules puts the health and safety of both you and your opponents in jeopardy and will not be tolerated.”

Al-Shaair will be eligible to return to Houston’s active roster in Week 18. He intends to appeal the suspension, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair address illegal hit

Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair address illegal hit

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair addressed the concussion-inducing, illegal hit the latter delivered the former in Jacksonville’s 23-20 loss to Houston on Sunday.

Lawrence was removed from the game in the second quarter after Al-Shaair launched and hit him in the head and neck area as the quarterback slid to conclude a six-yard rush, which led the Jaguars and Texans’ benches to clear and multiple skirmishes to ensue.

On Sunday evening, Lawrence revealed he was home and improving after entering the NFL’s concussion protocol.

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all,” Lawrence said via X/Twitter.

Al-Shaair was ejected from the game and penalized for unnecessary roughness following the strike. Jaguars tight end Evan Engram and cornerback Jarrian Jones received personal foul penalties for retaliatory actions amid the brawling; Jones was disqualified for throwing a punch at a player.

Al-Shaair apologized to Lawrence, addressed the quarterback’s teammates and condemned discriminating personal attacks he described experiencing in the aftermath of the play in a Monday morning post.

“I’ve always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone and anybody that knows me knows that. My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you’re still able to get up and play the next play. And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it’s not personal it’s just competition! We both are trying to do the same thing which is provide for our families!” Al-Shaair wrote.

“I genuinely didn’t see [Lawrence] sliding until it was too late. And it all happens in the blink of an eye. To Trevor I genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening. Before the game we spoke and I told you how it was great to see you back out on the field and wished you well. I would never want to see any player hurt because of a hit I put on them especially one that’s deemed ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary.’

“To the rest of his teammates I can definitely understand you having his back and defending him in a situation like that. To the rest of the people who I’ve been called every single name in the book from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their [villain] to racist and Islamophobic fans and people, you don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you. God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.”

Referee Land Clark and the game’s officiating crew determined additional penalties were not warranted for Al-Shaair’s actions following his ejection, per the game’s pool report.

Al-Shaair removed his helmet and jarred with multiple Jaguars, including offensive lineman Brandon Scherff and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., while being escorted from the field by teammates.

A fan threw a water bottle toward Al-Shaair and hit Texans linebacker Will Anderson Jr. in the head as they approached Houston’s locker room tunnel, prompting a heated response from Al-Shaair. The fan was reportedly later removed from the game.

The NFL had yet to issue further discipline for Al-Shaair’s tackle or the fighting between the Jaguars and Texans that followed at press time.

Jaguars vs. Texans: Doug Pederson expects QB Trevor Lawrence to play

Jaguars vs. Texans: Doug Pederson expects QB Trevor Lawrence to play

Jacksonville starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to return from a non-throwing shoulder injury and play in Week 13 against the Houston Texans, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson revealed on Friday.

Lawrence missed Jacksonville’s last two games after suffering an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder against Philadelphia in Week 9. He returned to practice in a limited fashion this week after not participating in Week 11 and following the Jaguars’ Week 12 bye.

“Yeah, I mean he’s had a good week. He’s obviously done some really good things this week,” Pederson said Friday. “I would say as of right now, yes, he will play. You know, we’ll get through today, Friday, Saturday, but he’s had a good week.”

Pederson suggested he would not drastically alter Jacksonville’s offensive gameplan should Lawrence play against Houston. However, he will be mindful of putting his quarterback in situations where he could take on contact.

“I mean, you don’t want your quarterback to get hit anyway. But yeah, I mean, you’ve just got to be conscious of moving around or too many designed runs or anything like that,” explained Pederson.

“But if he’s cleared to pay, we go play. Can’t worry about getting hit or taking a shot or anything like that.”

Lawrence has completed 168-of-274 (61.3%) passes for 2,004 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine starts with the Jaguars this season.

Jacksonville vs. Houston is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, at EverBank Stadium.

Doug Pederson encouraged by Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’s recovery

Doug Pederson encouraged by Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’s recovery

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is encouraged by the progress Jacksonville starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence has made in recovery from a left, non-throwing shoulder injury suffered in Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lawrence — who missed Jacksonville’s last two games after getting hurt against Philadelphia, even though he finished that contest — returned to practice with the Jaguars on Monday and is slated to continue working on Wednesday.

Pederson did not solidify Lawrence’s status for Jacksonville’s Week 13 home matchup with the Houston Texans one way or another. But the quarterback appears to be trending toward a return to play this Sunday.

“It’s encouraging,” Pederson said Wednesday. “You know, we’ll get through today, obviously. I’m not going to commit, but it was a good start to the week and so we’ll see how he handles much more of a workload today.”

Lawrence reportedly suffered a “significant” AC joint sprain in his left shoulder against the Eagles.

Lawrence has completed 168-of-274 (61.3%) passes for 2,004 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine starts with the Jaguars this season.

Pederson hinted Lawrence should receive the majority of first-team quarterback reps during Jacksonville’s Wednesday practice. However, Pederson intends to continue deploying backup quarterback Mac Jones with the group to prepare for a potential third-consecutive start.

Jones completed 31-of-51 passes for 249 yards with three interceptions and a fumble in place of Lawrence against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10 and the Detroit Lions in Week 11.

“It probably wouldn’t be 50-50. But still, Mac will get opportunities to take first-team reps, just to keep him fresh and keep him engaged,” Pederson said. “But [I] would love to see Trevor get the bulk of the work when the ones are out there today.”

Jacksonville vs. Houston is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, at EverBank Stadium.