Jalen Hurts' Record-Breaking Contract Sets Tone For Future Trevor Lawrence Deal

The Jaguars would be wise to move quickly on paying Lawrence after the standard that Jalen Hurts set this week.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are almost on the clock.

No, not for the NFL Draft. For something much bigger.

The Philadelphia Eagles set records on Monday as they announced a megadeal for quarterback Jalen Hurts -- a deal that will help set the tone for Lawrence's own future contract, which he will be eligible for after the 2023 season. 

Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million with $179.304 million in guaranteed money, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Now, the Jaguars know what to expect when it comes to Lawrence in the future. 

The Jaguars have already openly talked about the prospect of paying Lawrence in the very near future, but the Hurts deal attaches a jet pack to the value of Lawrence's future deal.

Hurts just led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in an MVP-type season in his third season. Lawrence was further along than Hurts in year two than Hurts was in 2021, so perhaps Lawrence finds the same third-year fate. And if he does, then the Jaguars know they will have to pony up.

The days of quarterback bargains and hometown discounts are gone. You either pay-up like the Eagles did for a top-tier quarterback, pay for mediocrity like the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and New Orleans Saints, or find yourself between a rock and a hard place like the Baltimore Ravens. 

The best course of action for the Jaguars would be to follow the Eagles' example and open up their wallets for their franchise passer. And now, they have an even better idea of what that might cost. 

"It helps, you know, it helps to have a young, talented quarterback that is the franchise guy still on a rookie deal. So you can, you know, sign your own free agents, sign other free agents, you know, and make decisions now on your roster that hopefully can set you up," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said this month. 

"Because one day you're gonna have to pay the quarterback and, you know, you're gonna have to use resources there to get him signed. But that's probably going to take away from something else on your team. But now's the time to, I think with any organization, now's the time to you know, make those decisions, try to get those guys locked up long-term so you don't have to worry about it in a year."

In 17 starts in 2022, Lawrence completed 387 of 584 passes for 4,113 yards and 25 TDs. His 387 completions were the most in a single season in franchise history and his five rushing TDs were tied with Garrard for the most in single-season franchise history.

Lawrence joined Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Bills QB Josh Allen as the only players in the NFL with 25-plus passing TDs and at least five rushing TDs. Against the Titans in Week 14, Lawrence set a career-high with 368 yards passing and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.

The second-year quarterback totaled four 300-yard passing games and orchestrated three comebacks of 17-plus points, including a comeback from behind 27-0 in the postseason against the Chargers. 

With Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert still set up to sign major deals, Lawrence's price-tag isn't going to get any lower. With Hurts' giant deal on Monday setting a high bar for the passers before Lawrence, the Jaguars should have a clear understanding that Lawrence's deal will likely now exceed $60 million per year. 

"Quarterback salaries aren't getting lower, you know, they're getting higher. And rightfully so, because if you play well, you're gonna get paid. I mean, that's just the way our business is," Pederson said at the owners meetings in Phoenix.

"And, you know, Trevor continues on that path that he's on and has a good year this year, you know, it's evident that that's probably, you know, probably coming. But also, you got to look at the whole team, you know, and you got to make decisions based on all of that."