Chris Broussard heaps pressure on Trevor Lawrence after $275,000,000 extension: "You're riding on your college accomplishments"
Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars and their quarterback Trevor Lawrence agreed on a five-year, $275 million contract extension. The deal tied him for the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, alongside Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow. Analyst Chris Broussard believes it's high time the Jaguars QB proves his worth.
Speaking on FOX Sports' "First Things First," Broussard said that Lawrence is "under duress" heading into the 2024 NFL season. He mentioned that the Jaguars QB has been rewarded with the contract for his college accomplishments and not his NFL performances. Broussard believes Lawrence didn't deserve the $275 million extension for the same reason:
(from 3:11 mark onward)
"You are riding on your measurable 6'6", 220 [lbs] long blonde hair handsome guy and your college accomplishments... You really haven't done anything in the NFL in three years to warrant a $275 million contract," Broussard said.
Lawrence was one of the highly-graded draft prospects coming into the NFL. He won the national championship in 2019 as a freshman with the Clemson Tigers. In his three-year college career, he threw for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, with a passer rating of 164.3.
But he could not translate the same as a rookie in the NFL due to the Urban Meyer controversy. In his second year, he took a massive leap and led the team to the playoffs. However, Lawrence declined in the 2023 season, with his touchdowns dropping and interceptions increasing.
But Broussard is not giving up on Lawrence. The FOX Sports analyst has high hopes for the Jaguars QB heading into the season, especially with the offensive pieces built around him:
"You got the weapons. They [Jaguars] went out and added Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. and you already have Christian Kirk. You got nice running back in Travis Etienne and a Super Bowl winning coach - Doug Peterson. So Trevor, go out this year and prove your skeptics wrong," Broussard said.
Trevor Lawrence pledges to bring championship to Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has high hopes for himself. Speaking to reporters on Thursday after signing his $275 million extension, Lawrence said that he wants to stay in Jacksonville for a long time and vowed to deliver a championship:
"I want to be the quarterback here," Lawrence said. "I want to bring a championship to Jacksonville, that's my goal and I really know we can accomplish that. I'm excited for that and it just pairs up to we happen to love living here too."
Despite regressing last year, Lawrence is one the best quarterbacks in Jaguars franchise history. With 20 victories in his NFL career, he ranks fifth all-time in QB wins in their history.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have shown enough faith in extending their QB and bringing in help this offseason. All eyes will be on Trevor Lawrence, who will not just want to prove his money's worth, but also get back to winning ways and reclaim the AFC South division title.