Trevor Lawrence's $275,000,000 deal could spell 'regret' for Jaguars: Report
Trevor Lawrence is costing a pretty fortune for the Jacksonville Jaguars and at least one NFL reporter feels that it could end up costing them in more ways than one. Brad Gagnon has highlighted the Jaguars quarterback as one of those players whose recent contract extensions the franchise might come to regret.
He writes that it was something that was definitely foreseen as Trevor Lawrence was entering the final year of his rookie contract and needed a new deal. But in doing so, they gave him the highest average annual salary in the NFL, tied with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow. The latter, needless to say, has revitalized the AFC North franchise and has taken them to a Super Bowl appearance.
The $275 million, five-year contract represents a gamble, according to Gagnon, because the Jaguars are tying their future to the quarterback who is yet to completely satisfy the fanbase. In his rookie year, they did not make the playoffs as Urban Meyer oversaw a program that was shambolic, to say the least.
Then in their second year, they made the playoffs and went until the Divisional Round before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. But last year, Jacksonville was close to making the postseason and only needed to win the final game but Trevor Lawrence could not inspire them to victory.
As Gagnon notes, the Jaguars have never finished above 9-8 in the three years with the player they have designated as their franchise quarterback and there are open questions if the former first-overall pick will live up to his draft hype. Therefore, the jury is still out and the organization might come to regret its decision if he does not improve significantly this season.
Trying to decode the reason why Trevor Lawrence got his big payday from the Jaguars
One must ask the question of why the Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence the new contract even though they must have been aware of the points Brad Gagnon raised. And the answer to that question is they would have seen that there are not many better young quarterbacks in the market and the player has improved and shown leadership as he has progressed.
The one year that they made the postseason, Trevor Lawrence orchestrated a comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round despite throwing multiple interceptions in the first half. That quality to bounce back might have convinced the Jacksonville brass that he can do the same with his career and turn his and his team's form around from last season.