AP source: QB Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have agreed to a $275 million, five-year contract extension.
According to a person familiar with the talks, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars reached a deal on Thursday for a five-year, $275 million contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
Florida’s Jacksonville According to a person familiar with the talks, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars reached a deal on Thursday for a five-year, $275 million contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
The person who spoke to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity stated that Lawrence’s contract includes a $37.5 million signing bonus in addition to $142 million fully guaranteed. This is because neither party had made the contract public.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lawrence will earn an average of $55 million yearly, matching Joe Burrow of Cincinnati for the highest salary in NFL history.
The lucrative increase occurs almost a month after Jared Goff, now the second-highest paid quarterback in the league, received a four-year, $212 million extension from Detroit. Goff makes $53 million a year on average.
Lawrence has now joined Burrow, Goff, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, and Burrow as the sixth quarterback to earn more than $50 million annually. Lawrence is the youngest person on the list and the fourteenth to earn over $40 million a year.
The 24-year-old has a staggering 60 turnovers in just three seasons as a starter, going 21–31 overall, including 1–1 in the postseason. The former standout player for Clemson University, who is from Georgia, has completed almost 64% of his passes for 11,770 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions. In addition, he has lost 21 fumbles and 11 rushing touchdowns.
The Jaguars highlight a 19-game span of the 2022–2023 seasons as Lawrence’s prime. During that time, Jacksonville went 14-5, and he completed 4,713 yards of passing with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke think it’s a taste of what a healthy and productive Lawrence can accomplish.
However, he just finished an injury-plagued season that Baalke referred to as “alarming.”
The top pick in the 2021 draft was sidelined for his first professional game due to a sprained right shoulder he suffered against Tampa Bay in Week 16.
In addition, Lawrence suffered a concussion in Week 15, a sprained right ankle in Week 13, and a sprained left knee in Week 6 that caused him to miss a significant amount of practice time.
The worst late-season collapse in franchise history was partially caused by the injury woes. After leading the AFC South for three months, the Jaguars (9-8) lost five of their last six games and were eliminated from the postseason.
It appeared that Lawrence’s injuries caused him to regress. In 4,016 yards of passing, he threw 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In addition, he lost seven fumbles, scored four touchdowns on the ground, and had a career-high 35 sacks.
In response to Baalke’s vow to improve the team’s offensive line, the team re-signed left guard Ezra Cleveland, added veteran center Mitch Morse via free agency, and selected Missouri native Javon Foster in the fourth round of the draft as a possible future starter.
Additionally, Baalke made changes to Lawrence’s receiving group by bringing in first-round speedster Brian Thomas Jr., former Buffalo starter Gabe Davis, and Devin Duvernay in place of Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones, and Jamal Agnew.
Lawrence might finally realize his potential and emerge as the quarterback of the future that the Jaguars believed they drafted three years ago thanks to those offseason actions.
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