Trevor Lawrence to miss more games than Azeez Al-Shaair despite taking the brunt of controversial hit

Jacksonville Jaguars have placed quarterback Trevor Lawrence on IR after being hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

Trevor Lawrence to miss more games than Azeez Al-Shaair despite taking the brunt of controversial hit

Trevor Lawrence has been placed on IR by the Jacksonville Jaguars after being hit by Azeez Al-Shaair (Image via Imago/X)

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair will now play in only one more game this season after the NFL suspended him for three games. His hit on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence was seen as the continuation of several illegal hits and plays throughout this season.

Lawrence’s late slide did draw some flak from former greats as they thought he was already in harm’s way. However, the Texans star hit him with more force than necessary. That hit saw him being carted off amidst concerns of concussions.

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Over the course of the past few days, the Jaguars’ medical staff have been trying to ascertain how long their joint second-highest paid player in the league will take to return to the field. But earlier they informed NFL Insider Ian Rapoport about their decision.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is expected to have surgery to repair his significant AC joint injury in his left shoulder in the coming weeks, sources say. His season is over. Lawrence will make a full recovery for 2025.

Ian Rapoport on X

This means, the 25-year-old is likely to suit up in the 2025 preseason. Not the best way Trevor Lawrence envisioned his season to end, especially when all five of their closing games are winnable. It was the best way to close out this disappointing season and use that momentum towards next year, if not for Al-Shaair’s hit.

Azeez Al-Shaair loses appeal on NFL suspension after his hit on Trevor Lawrence

Azeez Al-Shaair flared up when Jaguars players rushed in to defend their quarterback after his controversial hit. Even his head coach and GM were livid on the blowback and suspension their star player received. But the 27-year-old did apologize for his hit and appealed to the NFL to overturn his suspenion.

Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair's three-game suspension appeal was denied
Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair’s three-game suspension appeal was denied (Image via X)

Hearing officer Ramon Foster, jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA, has upheld the three-game suspension of Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

Michael Signora on X

Michael Signora, the NFL’s SVP of Football & International Communications posted a message on his official X account. This message confirms Al-Shaair’s appeal did not bear fruit as the league decided to continue to uphold their three-game suspension.

The Jaguars may have seen the looming concussion protocol as an opportunity to shut their quarterback down for the season. Al-Shaair lost three weeks’ pay and some game bonuses from his $34 million contract. Now the Texans star will have to wait until the last game of the season against his former team.