Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence Named Among 'Locks to Rise'

The fourth-year franchise quarterback will look to lead the Jaguars to their second playoff appearance in four seasons.

Nov 26, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) hugs players after defeating the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

2023 was supposed to be the year Trevor Lawrence took the leap and rocketed into the hierachy of the NFL's elites.

For a lot of reasons, that didn't happen. Lawrence didn't put up the MVP-caliber season many predicted he would have, while the Jaguars crumbled around him during a 1-5 finish to the season.

Despite an efficient start to the season during the Jaguars' 8-3 start, the final month of the season was the lasting impression of the 2024 Jaguars.

With Lawrence now healthy after four different injuries in 2023, and with a new cast of weapons around him, can the franchise and Lawrence take the leap together in 2024?

NFL.com's Eric Edholm thinks so, naming Lawrence among his list of players he thinks will have bounce back seasons.

"Lawrence’s career has been a bit hot and cold to this point, but the good news is that his 2023 backslide didn’t come close to approaching his rookie-year struggles of 2021. It feels like Lawrence has established some baseline level of competency, even if last season came with its challenges.

The biggest issues, I suspect, were physical ones. Lawrence missed his first NFL start last season in Week 17 following a shoulder injury, but prior to that, he suffered an ankle injury in Week 13. Both appeared to hinder his progress.

Through Week 13, Lawrence had completed 67.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 14 TDs and seven picks, along with four rushing scores and four fumbles. Those numbers fell more in line with his 2022 output. But in his final four games of the season, Lawrence completed just 60 percent of his passes, with seven TDs, seven picks and three lost fumbles. That coincided with the Jaguars falling out of the playoff race.

Jacksonville’s pass protection, especially on the left side, hurt Lawrence. Left tackle Cam Robinson was suspended for the first four games of last season and later missed time with a knee injury. His replacement, Walker Little, was good early but struggled late. Left guard also was a group effort, with three different starters struggling at various points. Center was a problem, too. Most of the faces at the first two positions remain the same, but the Jaguars feel they upgraded at center with Mitch Morse coming from Buffalo. They’ve also added former Bills receiver Gabe Davis to give Lawrence a deep threat on the outside. Is Davis better than Calvin Ridley, who left for Tennessee in free agency? No, but he and first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. should give Lawrence plenty of downfield-shot potential.

The Jaguars also played several top defenses last season and appear set to face a slightly easier group of teams this season, which should help. You don’t want to make excuses for Lawrence after a slightly disappointing turn, but there were some tangible reasons for it. In his age-25 campaign, with stronger reinforcements and a schedule that might not be as tough, Lawrence should trend back toward the trajectory he was on prior to last season."

- Eric Edholm, NFL.com

The Jaguars agreed to terms with the quarterback and former No. 1 pick earlier this month, agreeing to a five-year deal worth $275 million with $200 million in guarantees and $142 million fully guaranteed.

Lawrence's deal will pay him an average of $55 million a season, which ties him with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow as the highest-paid player on an annual basis in the NFL.

Since being drafted No. 1 in 2021, Lawrence has started 50 regular season games. Lawrence ranks fourth in franchise history in passing yards with 11,770 and is fourth in touchdown passes with 58.

Since being drafted, Lawrence has been voted as a team captain by his teammates each year of his NFL career and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 after recording 387 completions for 4,113 passing yards and 25 touchdowns with a passer rating of 95.2.

During the 2023 season, he completed 370 passes becoming the only quarterback in franchise history to start his career with three seasons of at least 300 completions and the second quarterback in team history to record at least 300 completions in three consecutive seasons. He has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week three times in his career, twice in 2022 (Week 3 and 12) and once in 2023 (Week 11).

In his career, Lawrence has also posted 205 rushing attempts for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.

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