Is Trevor Lawrence really worth the record-breaking salary or are Jaguars in a big mess now?

The Jaguars hit the iron when it was hot, and before the quarterback market rose any further, decided to give Trevor Lawrence a massive 5-year extension.

Is Trevor Lawrence really worth the record-breaking salary or are Jaguars in a big mess now?

Does Trevor Lawrence deserve the $55 million a year salary (Image via IMAGO)

What was Trent Baalke thinking—was the cry from outside of the Duval country after the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a 5-year $275 million deal with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Not the Jags fans who should count their chickens lucky to even have a quarterback who was labeled generational when coming out of college.

After years in the dumps, feeding off leftovers from other teams, the Jaguars finally managed to snag a potential quarterback whom the Bleacher Report’s Nate Tice branded as super-charged Matt Ryan. With a tall lanky build and an arm strength that could rival the best QBs in the NFL, Lawrence had everything a modern-day quarterback should possess.

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However, he lacked in the luck department because he ended up in Jacksonville. As the first overall pick, fans expected results, but they forgot a quarterback can do as much as the players around him.

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Lawrence went into a defense that only recorded one win in 2020. They allowed 19.1 points per game (492 total) and 313 touchdowns. The offense was even worse, with 326.1 yards per game (5th from bottom) and only 40% third down conversion rate.

The Lawrence effect in the Jaguars team

Adding Lawrence wasn’t going to change much in the Jaguars’ fortunes. Baalke kept the receiver core more or less the same in his rookie season with Marvin Jones leading the line recording only 832 yards and four touchdowns.

Is Trevor Lawrence really worth the record-breaking salary or are Jaguars in a big mess now?
Trevor Lawrence (via IMAGO)

The Jaguars finally decided to add firepower by signing Christina Kirk and running back Travis Etienne, who missed the 2021 season due to injury, was named the starter.

Kirk racked up more than 1000 yards from 84 receptions but also dropped seven passes. Etienne rushed for 1,100 yards and scored five touchdowns. Tight end Even Engram chimed in more than 750 yards and four touchdowns as the Jaguars played postseason football for the first time since 2017.

2023 should have been the breakout year for Trevor Lawrence. The addition of Calvin Ridley helped open new horizons and he repaid it by notching more than 1000 yards and 6 TDs.

Jacksonville got off to a great start winning 7 of their first 11 games. Kirk took a back seat as Engram gained more ground with Etienne eating up green like a lawnmower. The Clemson graduate went back-to-back years with 1,000 rushing yards and scored a career-high 11 rushing TDs and one receiving TD.

However, Lawrence picked up an ankle injury at the business end of the season. The Jaguars won only one in the last six, missing out on consecutive playoff appearances which they haven’t achieved since 1998.

Did the Jacksonville Jaguars make a mistake by agreeing to pay Trevor Lawrence $55 million a year?

On the surface, it would appear that Lawrence hasn’t done enough to warrant money similar cash to Joe Burrow. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback has beaten two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, won a Championship game, and went to a Super Bowl compared to Lawrence’s one playoff game in three years.

However, unlike Lawrence, the LSU alumni had players like Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon, and Tee Higgins to help him achieve those feats.

Lawrence’s impact on the Jaguars can’t be denied. While most will point to his 60 turnovers in three seasons as minus, the 24-year-old has plenty of pluses to overshadow it.

He threw more than 4,000 yards in the last two seasons with a completion percentage of 65 and a passer rating of 90, throwing 46 touchdowns and 22 picks along with nine rushing TDs.

Since entering the NFL, Lawrence completed more passes (1,116) than Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Tua Tagovailoa. He also has a better interception percentage (2.2) compared to Josh Allen, Stafford, and Tua per StatMuse.

Pro Football Focus’ stat guru Zoltan Buday ranked Trevor Lawrence third best quarterback under 25 years old.

Many might call Lawrence’s 2023 season a disappointment, especially considering preseason expectations. However, he earned the highest overall grade of his career in 2023 and, during the first part of the season, demonstrated why the Jaguars selected him with the first-overall pick three years ago. Lawrence’s 88.1 overall grade after 13 weeks last year ranked fifth among quarterbacks.
Zoltán Buday wrote

As much as Craig Carton doesn’t want to give credit to Lawrence, he deserves all the money he gets. Yes, to the average football fan, it may seem that the Jaguars overpaid considering he has a $200 million guaranteed compared to Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) who has a 24-23-1 record in the last three years and got $113.6 million guaranteed.

Regardless, the massive contract can only mean the intent that the Jaguars believe in Trevor Lawrence.

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