Jacksonville Jaguars Coach Speaks Out About Former Clemson Star's Contract

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson spoke out briefly about one of the former Clemson star's new contract.

Aug 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) drops back to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter during preseason at EverBank Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars went into the NFL offseason with many questions that needed to be answered. One of them had to do with the contract status of former Clemson Tigers superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

After a rollercoaster first three years, Lawrence was not a sure thing to get a big-time extension. Quite a few analysts didn't think the Jaguars should pay him huge money.

Despite all of the doubters, Jacksonville went all in with their franchise quarterback, handing
Lawrence a massive five-year, $275 million deal.

The Jaguars made it clear they believe in Lawrence, and even though he hasn't lived up to all of the hype in his first few years, they still think he has a lot more left in the tank.

With the regular season right around the corner, head coach Doug Pederson was asked about Lawrence's contract and whether or not he talks to the star quarterback about it.

"I don't. I try to stay out of it. I just want to focus on the football side and what we do on the grass. And I think Trevor's the same way. I think he doesn't want to talk about it when it was going on and just let the powers to be, you know, handle all the particulars and let us focus on football," he said per The Clemson Insider.

Throughout the process of getting the deal done, Lawrence refrained from talking about the deal. He was focused on things he could control and allowed his representation to do their job.

Now, he will need to control what kind of production he gives the Jaguars after they made a massive investment in him.

During the 2023 season, Lawrence had a down year. He ended up playing in 16 games, completing 65.6 percent of his pass attempts for 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Lawrence also picked up 339 yards and four scores on the ground.

Despite those numbers looking good on paper, that same kind of production with another missed playoffs would not live up to the expectations that comes with such a large contract.

It will be interesting to see what the former Tigers star is able to do in 2024. He has great weapons around him, so there should be no excuse for a poor season.

With a new contract under his belt, the pressure is now on the Clemson legend to prove Jacksonville right for trusting in him.