Tag: trevor lawrence

Jaguars trading for QB Mac Jones from Patriots

Mac Jones, who was taken 14 picks after Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL draft, is headed to Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reached a deal to acquire quarterback Mac Jones from New England Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Jaguars’ No. 192 overall selection (one of the team’s two sixth-rounders) is headed to the Patriots, although the trade won’t be official until the new league year begins on Wednesday.

Jones, 25, was picked by the Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, 14 selections after the Jaguars took quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick.

After beginning his career with a better year than Lawrence — earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie with 3,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions — Jones regressed in the following two seasons and was benched for much of the 2023 season. He finished last year with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 games.

The Jacksonville native, who attended The Bolles School, will presumably compete with C.J. Beathard to be the No. 2 player on the depth chart behind Lawrence.

With Lawrence dealing with several injuries in the final weeks of the 2023 season, Beathard stepped into the lineup and finished the year with 349 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

Beathard is under contract for the 2024 season with a $2.42 million salary cap hit. The Jaguars would save $1.92 million if they release him. Jones will come with a $2,785,410 cap hit and is also due to become a free agent in 2025.

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Clemson ranked as the No. 2 best team of the 4-team College Football Playoff era

According to ESPN, Clemson is the second-best team of the college football playoff era.

Since the start of the College Football Playoff era, there have been few, if more than one, teams that have been as good as Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.

Looking at the Tigers’ resume since the start of the playoff, it’s tough to argue against how impressive they’ve been. With two National Championships wins, both coming against Nick Saban and Alabama, along with his eight ACC Championships, programs dream of runs like the Tigers’ have had.

Recently, ESPN graded all 84 teams to ever be ranked by the college football playoff committee, with Clemson ranking No. 2 with an A grade. The only team ranked higher was No. 1 Alabama.

Record: 119-20
Average SP+: 22.2 (3rd)

The Tigers have two national titles, played for two others, won 10 games nine times and have spent 35 weeks in the committee’s top four, trailing only Alabama. And yet, Dabo Swinney still has to deal with angry callers to his radio show questioning whether the program is still relevant. Yes, Clemson has missed the playoff the past three years. And in that span, the Tigers are 30-10 — only the seventh-best record among Power 5 teams. As slumps go, we should all be so lucky.

Over the span of 2015-16 to 2020-21, the Tigers pulled off an impressive feat, making it to the Playoff a remarkable six times in a row. Their consistent appearances stand out, considering that only Alabama managed more with eight entries into the four-team postseason. What makes Clemson’s achievement even more noteworthy is that, historically, they didn’t carry the same level of prestige and history as powerhouse teams like Alabama and Ohio State. Before the Tigers embarked on their own era of dominance, the football world often associated the biggest names with places like Tuscaloosa and Columbus. However, Clemson’s impressive run altered the narrative and solidified their place among the elite in college football.

They make excellent points about the Tigers current slump too. While fans are quick to complain and have rightfully high expectations, reality is also something we need to acknowledge. Clemson had a historic run and while they are by no means done, it is important to understand that like any sport, it’s a game of runs. It’s how the Tigers recover from this slump that matters.

Contract projections for 6 Jaguars in line to receive new deals

How much would it cost the Jaguars to keep Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, and a few other players with new contracts? Spoiler: a whole lot.

When Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke spoke to reporters at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, he revealed the team is in talks with three of its impending free agents — Josh Allen, Calvin Ridley, and Ezra Cleveland — to bring them back.

Later, in an interview with NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, he said the Jaguars have started talks with quarterback Trevor Lawrence too.

So how much would it cost to sign all four of those players to new contracts? Spoiler alert: a lot.

With the salary cap soaring, several Jaguars players are well-positioned to secure pricy contracts if the team hopes to keep them for the foreseeable future. Add defensive backs Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco to the mix (Baalke mentioned them in an interview as players who will “eventually need contracts”) and the Jaguars could be handing out several big deals to some of their key players.

Here’s a guess at how much it’d cost for the Jaguars to keep those six players if they signed new contracts this offseason:

5 important numbers for the Jaguars with 2024 salary cap set

Salary cap space, fifth-year option totals, and franchise tag numbers all became official Friday.

The NFL’s salary cap is set to make an unprecedented jump from $224.8 million to $255.4 million in 2024.

The more than $30 million difference is much larger than most expected and means extra room for the Jacksonville Jaguars to work with during the 2024 offseason.

But that’s not the only news from Friday that’s important for the Jaguars. With the salary cap for the upcoming season officially set, Jacksonville also learned how much it’ll cost to make a few potential moves in the coming weeks.

The franchise tag numbers are now set and the fifth-year option totals for 2021 first-round selections are also official.

Here are five numbers that were set Friday and stand to impact the Jaguars’ immediate future:

Jaguars seemingly eliminate passing game coordinator position

At least for now, it seems there will be one less coach in Trevor Lawrence’s ear next season.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars rounded out their coaching staff with a flurry of additions Thursday, it was mostly defensive coaches hired.

Ryan Nielsen filled the void left by the firing of Mike Caldwell as defensive coordinator, and several assistants who were colleagues of Nielsen’s in Atlanta or New Orleans followed him on to the staff.

Interestingly, one position that wasn’t filled was a spot on the offensive staff. At least for now, the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator role sits vacant.

In 2022, it was Jim Bob Cooter who held the title until he left to become the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts. Nick Holz took over the position in 2023, but that only lasted one season before he became offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

It’s certainly possible that another hire will happen to round out the staff, but it seems more likely that the coaches will get to work without a replacement for Holz.

The Jaguars passing game wasn’t exactly a smooth operation during the 2023 season. Third-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw 14 interceptions — a jump from his eight picks in 2022 — and he was sacked a career-high 35 times. Still, the team finished ninth in passing yards.

Perhaps Doug Pederson feels there were simply too many cooks in the kitchen. Between Pederson, offensive coordinator Press Taylor, and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy, and assistant quarterbacks coach Andrew Breiner, there are already a handful of coaches in Lawrence’s ear. While the head coach felt a pass game coordinator was necessary the last couple years, the team’s sloppy performance in 2023 may have changed his mind.

Jacksonville needs a much sharper fourth season out of Lawrence, and it looks like it’ll be a smaller coaching staff tasked with helping him accomplish that.

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Clemson offensive stars we’d love to see in EA Sports’ College Football

A list of Clemson football offensive stars fans and gamers would love to play with on EA’s new college football series.

College football fans and gamers have been waiting a long time for a new video game to play NCAA football on Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox consoles. After more than 10 years, that wait appears to be almost over.

EA Sports announced last week that it was officially relaunching its heralded college football franchise, previously known as ‘NCAA Football,’ sometime this summer. The game will be titled ‘EA Sports College Football 25.’

Who will be on the cover and other details have yet to be finalized, but various reports state that a release date for the video game is expected to be sometime this summer, likely in either July or August.

The last college football game that was released by EA Sports was NCAA Football 14. That game featured former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on the cover. The ‘NCAA’ series was discontinued in 2013 after a wave of lawsuits over name, image and likeness.

For Clemson fans that didn’t hold on to PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 consoles and use downloaded rosters from other online gamers, that means they missed out on playing with a lot of Tiger legends from the Dabo Swinney era.

With that in mind, we decided to put together a list of Clemson football stars from the past 10 years that we’re sure fans and gamers alike would love to play with on EA’s new college football series if the makers of the game decide to allow users to access past players.

Trevor Lawrence: ‘It’ll only get better’ if Calvin Ridley returns

Trevor Lawrence is hopeful he’ll have the chance to keep building his connection with Calvin Ridley.

In Calvin Ridley’s first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s an impressive stat line until you consider that he was targeted 136 times, credited with a team-leading seven drops by PFF, and finished nine games with 40 receiving yards or fewer.

So now what?

Ridley is set to become a free agent next month and, while both the receiver and general manager Trent Baalke have expressed interest in a new contract in Jacksonville, the decision isn’t an easy one.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is hopeful the team will find a way to keep Ridley, though.

“We’ve built a good relationship over the past year,” Lawrence told USA Today’s Tony Anderson last week. “We took some big strides this year and I know another year playing together, it’s only going to get better. And you got to think about it too, he’s been out for two years; this was his first year back and I thought he did some really great things. He got better every game as the season went on. Our chemistry grew.

“So many good things to build on. Just to know that we can be a lot better too is encouraging. I’m hoping that we can get him back and just keep building on what we were able to start this year.”

The Jaguars owe the Atlanta Falcons a 2024 third-round pick, at minimum, as part of the 2022 trade to acquire Ridley. If Jacksonville re-signs the receiver before free agency begins on March 13, it’ll instead be a second-rounder headed to Atlanta.

That complicates an already tricky situation for the Jaguars to navigate with pass rusher Josh Allen likely to receive the franchise tag, removing another avenue to keep Ridley.

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Trevor Lawrence on the possibility of reuniting with Tee Higgins

Could we see Trevor Lawrence and Tee Higgins back together soon?

While it sounds like a stretch, there is a possibility we will see former Clemson stars Trevor Lawrence and Tee Higgins reunite in the NFL.

Lawrence was asked about this possibility during Super Bowl week. Like many, he doesn’t see the Cincinnati Bengals letting Tee Higgins slip through his fingers, but he would love to be back on the same offense as Higgins.

“I would be very surprised if Cincinnati lets him go. I don’t think that’s going to happen. But if there was an opportunity, it would be great to play with Tee,” Lawrence said. “You know, we’ve texted a little bit back and forth. And the league is funny. You just never know how things are going to work out. So many factors are at play.

“But of course that’s a guy that I played with that we have a great chemistry. Great player. I would not be upset at all if he came to Jacksonville.”

Even with the doubt, it’s a situation to monitor. The Bengals have a lot of mouths to feed and new contracts to be made. If they can’t afford Higgins, the Jaguars should have a real shot.

Trevor Lawrence: ‘It would be great’ if Jaguars signed Tee Higgins

Trevor Lawrence doesn’t think Tee Higgins will hit the free agency market, but he loves the idea of a Clemson reunion in Jacksonville.

Trevor Lawrence and Tee Higgins combined for more than 25 touchdowns and 2,000 yards in two years playing together at Clemson. With the latter now set to become a free agent, could a reunion be in the cards?

Probably not, according to Lawrence, but he certainly doesn’t hate the idea.

“I would be very surprised if Cincinnati lets him go, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Lawrence told Yahoo Sports when asked about Higgins this week. “But if there was an opportunity, it would be great to play with Tee.

“We’ve texted a little back and forth. The league’s funny, you just never know how things are gonna work out. So many factors are at play, but of course, that’s a guy that I played with, we have a great chemistry, great player. I would not be upset at all if he came to Jacksonville.”

Higgins, who was a second-round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020, has 257 career receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns. While he’s been a valuable part of the Bengals offense, the team made Joe Burrow the highest paid player in the NFL and will presumably want to dole out a huge contract to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase too.

If that means Higgins hits the market in March, he’ll be one of the top players available and will likely receive a hefty deal wherever he lands. For the Jaguars to be the team that opens up the pocketbooks for Higgins, it’d likely mean Calvin Ridley is allowed to leave.

Like Lawrence said, the Bengals may be interested in keeping their core of young offensive talent in place. And even if Higgins does leave, the Jaguars may not be the team in the best position to scoop up the receiver.

You probably shouldn’t count on Jacksonville getting the Clemson band back together. Even for Lawrence, it’s an idea that is fun to think about, though.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes embraces villain role ahead of Super Bowl LVIII vs. 49ers

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is embracing his role as the villain ahead of Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the #49ers.

A torch has been passed from the New England Patriots to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have emerged as the NFL’s newest dynasty.

For years, fans around the league despised the Patriots, and specifically quarterback Tom Brady, for their constant success.

Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories in nine appearances, acting as a roadblock to Hall-of-Fame caliber signal callers like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers.

Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes has achieved a similar degree of dominance, taking down his contemporaries (Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Andrew Luck, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa) on his path to four Super Bowl berths through his first six years as the Kansas City’s starting quarterback.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington recently sat down with Mahomes and discussed how the 28-year-old quarterback feels about being disliked by other teams and fanbases.

“I can definitely sense it,” Mahomes explained. “I never felt like that because I’ve never been like that in my entire life. But it’s become a little bit funny. I don’t want to say you enjoy it. I know the Patriots had that for a while. I’m hoping we do it in a different way with a little more fun and personality with it.

“But as long as you keep winning, teams start to not like you, and I want to keep winning. So, if that means some of the other teams and other fan bases aren’t going to like me, I’ll try to still have a smile on my face and not be a bad example, but I can be that villain for them if they need me to be.”

The Chiefs quarterback seems happy to inherit this villain role in the NFL if it means Kansas City can continue to compete for Super Bowls every year.

Mahomes has led Kansas City to the AFC title game in each of his six seasons as the starting quarterback. With a victory on Sunday against the 49ers, the Chiefs would be the first team since the 2003-04 Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowls, further establishing Kansas City as a dynasty and cementing Mahomes’ role as the NFL’s preeminent star.