Thoughts From the Pro Bowl: Why Trevor Lawrence Envisions Even More for the Jaguars
With Pro Bowl weekend reaching its conclusion, first-time nominees Trevor Lawrence and Jamal Agnew showcased their abilities among the NFL’s elite.
For Jacksonville, the Pro Bowl nominations represented more than just the franchise quarterback and kick returner; it showed the Jaguars possess the talent necessary to build upon their 2022 success, with Lawrence and Agnew among the building blocks present to do so.
Lawrence, who emerged as a leader for this young Jaguars squad, noted that team culture played a huge role in the team being ahead of schedule, with head coach Doug Pederson being a huge part of the shift.
In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Lawrence made clear just how much Pederson has meant to the Jaguars organization.
“I mean, really just brought a lot of energy to our organization, to our city,” Lawrence said. “I think that the belief that he’s [Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson] had in us since he’s stepped foot in the building and just the relationships he built with the team.
"You know, it’s cool to see a coach earn the respect and trust of a team so quickly and we all just bought in. I think that was the result of all the work and all the buy in the guys had throughout the season. Obviously, we had some ups and downs. That’s a testament to the culture that we’re setting and that we’re building in Jacksonville, is that you know, we lost five games in a row at one point in the year, and we’re able to still rally and make the playoffs, win a playoff game and it just shows how bright the future is for our team and there’s a lot more out there for us.”
The culmination of that belief from both the organization and its players resulted in the first Jaguars playoff victory in five years. For Lawrence and the Jaguars, making the playoffs is no small feat, but they know plenty is in store for them and that they deserve to be among the top teams in the AFC as soon as next season.
“It’s huge, you know, I mean one, it’s hard to even get there in this league,” Lawrence said when asked about building on the Jaguars playoff victory against the Chargers. “It’s hard to win. I’ve learned that in my short career so far, but it’s hard to win. Just to get there is an accomplishment, but for us we knew there was more out there for us and to be able to win a playoff game is really hard too especially under the circumstances being down 27 points in the first half. It’s not ideal, not how you want to start off the game.
"Just the confidence that it gave us though is that we’re never out of a game and I think it’s just a lesson for everybody, myself included. You’re never out of a game and just keep playing. It was cool to go through that with our team and that’s kind of small microcosm of our season in a nutshell. Just having to overcome a lot, battle back, and put ourselves in a position to win. I think we learned a lot and know we belong. We’re with that top group of teams. We should be there every year, that’s the expectation we have for ourselves and I’m just excited to get another opportunity next year.”
