Jaguars reportedly sign QB Trevor Lawrence to $275m contract extension
Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension on Thursday, making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history, according to multiple reports.
Lawrence’s deal includes a $200 million guarantee and a $37.5 million signing bonus, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side had publicly announced the contract. ESPN and the NFL Network also reported the news.
Lawrence will receive an average of $55 million per year under the deal, which will tie him for the most in NFL history behind Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.
The lucrative increase comes nearly a month after Detroit gave Jared Goff a four-year extension worth $212 million, making him the second-highest paid quarterback in the league. Goff’s average salary is $53 million.
Lawrence is now the sixth QB to earn more than $50 million per year, joining Burrow, Goff, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. Lawrence is the 14th to rake in $40 million annually, and he’s the youngest on the list.
The 24-year-old is 21-31 in three seasons as a starter, including 1-1 in the playoffs, and has a whopping 60 turnovers in three seasons. The Georgia native and former Clemson star has completed nearly 64% of his passes for 11,770 yards, with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He also has 11 rushing touchdowns and 21 lost fumbles.
The Jaguars point to a 19-game stretch over the 2022-2023 seasons when Lawrence was at his best. He threw for 4,713 yards, with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, as Jacksonville went 14-5 in that span. General manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson believe this is a glimpse of what Lawrence can do when he’s healthy and humming.
But he is coming off an injury-riddled season that Baalke called “alarming.”
The top pick in the 2021 draft missed the first game of his professional career after suffering a sprained right shoulder in Week 16 against Tampa Bay.
Lawrence also missed significant practice time due to other injuries: a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13 and a concussion in Week 15.
The injury woes played a role in the worst late-season collapse in franchise history. The Jaguars (9-8) dropped five of their last six games and missed the postseason after spending three months atop the AFC South.
Lawrence seemingly declined due to the injuries. He threw for 4,016 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also ran for four scores, lost seven fumbles and was sacked a career-high 35 times.
Baalke promised to upgrade the team’s offensive line and responded by re-signing left guard Ezra Cleveland and adding veteran center Mitch Morse in free agency and then drafting a potential future starter with fourth-round pick Javon Foster out of Missouri.
Baalke also revamped Lawrence’s receiving group by replacing Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew with first-round speedster Brian Thomas Jr., former Buffalo starter Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay.
These offseason moves could help Lawrence reach his potential and ultimately become the generational quarterback the Jaguars thought they drafted three years ago.