Trevor Lawrence is sticking with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the long term.
The quarterback agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension with the team on Thursday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal includes $200 million guaranteed, Rapoport added.
The move was always expected, especially after the team exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie season ahead of the 2024 campaign. The bigger question was whether he would get anywhere close to the astronomical extensions handed out to other young stars at the position recently like Joe Burrow (five years, $275 million), Justin Herbert (five years, $262.5 million) and Jalen Hurts (five years, $255 million).
How the Jaguars handled Lawrence’s inevitable extension became more fascinating after his disappointing 2023 season. He battled through a number of knocks throughout the year and missed the first game of his career following 49 consecutive starts. In turn, his numbers declined to the tune of 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 65.6 percent of his passes and taking 35 sacks.
The Jags opened the season 8-3 and looked like legitimate contenders in the AFC, especially after 2022’s playoff berth and improbable comeback win against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round.
But a four-game losing streak and Lawrence’s injury issues turned a promising season into disappointment. The team finished 9-8 on the year (8-8 in Lawrence’s starts) and missed out on the postseason following a Week 18 loss against the lowly Tennessee Titans.
Huge things were expected for Lawrence after the Jaguars made him the top overall pick at the 2021 NFL draft, and it’s fair to argue he hasn’t met those expectations just yet. But Jacksonville clearly believes he’s the man to lead the team, and given some of the rough quarterback play elsewhere in the NFL, it isn’t surprising that the Jags paid up to keep him around.