ESPN's Dan Orlovsky Says Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence is Not a Top-12 Quarterback

The ex-Lions QB has had a lot to say about the Jaguars' quarterback this week.

Sep 17, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Trevor Lawrence discourse has officially begun.

The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback and former No. 1 pick is primed to be one of the next big-money signal-callers, with all indications out of the football world that he will likely get an extension before the 2024 season begins.

Due to Lawrence's pedigree and the market of the starting quarterback position, it seems likely Lawrence will ask for at least what Jared Goff got earlier this month. Goff signed a four-year, $212 million deal with $170,611,000 in gurantees. Goff's $53 million average per year is the second-most in the NFL.

The simple fact is that the quarterback market is a next man up dynamic. If Lawrence's deal outdoes Goff's, it likely will eventually be eclipsed by Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Tua Tagovailoa, and C.J. Stroud. The same would be said about either of these quarterbacks if they were to be paid first.

As with any player who is due to be paid one of the largest contracts in league history, there will be debate. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky cast doubt on a Lawrence mega-deal based on merit earlier this week, and then extended his argument on The Pat McAfee Show.

Orlovsky went on to state Lawrence has not yet played to the level of other top quarterbacks in the NFL, naming a dozen quarterbacks he believes he would take above him: Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, C.J. Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa, and Brock Purdy.

"There's no way that we could sit here and say this guy is, Trevor Lawrence has, you know, deserved or his play has earned, however you want to phrase it, the same as Joe Burrow or the same as Josh Allen or the same as Patrick," Orlovsky said. "So those guys that are -- even Kirk, you know, like someone responded back to me yesterday. "He's a Top 8 quarterback." Here's eight right now that just came to the top of my head that are better, you know, and it doesn't mean he's not gonna get there."

"I do not think that you no question about it, 'We're paying this guy $50 million right now,' unless you in the building are unequivocally convinced that he is going to become that guy. Because there's been moments, and last year it certainly trended that way coming off to that playoff comeback two years ago. But then the injuries to Kirk and he never got on the same page consistently with Calvin Ridley, and then he had the injury himself. I love Trevor. I think he is a superstar talent."

While it seems like Lawrence is getting beat up a bit here for how the Jaguars as a whole played down the stretch of 2023, it was always likely Lawrence would be the victim of failed expectations. Lawrence didn't play as well as he should have or as many expected him to in 2023, and the Jaguars followed as a team.

With that said, Lawrence's natural talent and splits before and after his injury suggests he is a top-12 quarterback. at minimum. But that is the nature of the position. Until the next quarterback gets paid or until the Jaguars win again, Lawrence's game will be dissected; whether fairly or not.