Jaguars sign Super Bowl-winning quarterback John Wolford after Trevor Lawrence injury

The Jaguars have added a Super Bowl winner to their quarterback room following Trevor Lawrence’s concussion last weekend.

Lawrence slid at the end of a run when the Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit. Al-Shair has now been suspended for three games by the NFL.

With Lawrence very likely to miss the rest of the season for the struggling Jaguars, Jacksonville has added quarterback John Wolford to its practice squad, the team announced.

Wolford spent three seasons with the Rams and was the team’s backup quarterback when they defeated the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, in 2022.

He also saw preseason action for the Bucs last year.

Wolford has appeared in seven NFL games (four starts), with 626 yards, one passing touchdown and five interceptions.

Trevor Lawrence took a helmet-to-helmet tackle from Azeez Al-Shaair despite sliding down

Lawrence suffered a concussion after the goal, but is said to be ‘feeling better’ at home

While Lawrence said he “felt better” Sunday night after being carted off the field, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said he would be “surprised” if Lawrence returns this season.

The Jaguars (2-10) are out of the playoffs with five games remaining, and Lawrence was also dealing with a shoulder injury before being further injured by Al-Shaair’s goal.

“Honestly, in my opinion, I would be surprised if we see Trevor Lawrence play again this season,” Schetfer said on the Pat McAfee Show. ‘Why are we putting him out there? For me it is time to give him a rest and prepare him for 2025.

“He was dealing with a shoulder injury that he played through and it was tough enough to be out there, now you get a huge blow to the head and he has to be taken off.

“Why are we putting him there again at 2-10? What are we doing? Yes, he is extremely strong and he plays through everything, but someone has to tell him in his best interest, ‘You should not play anymore this season.’

Al-Shaair, meanwhile, will be out of action until Week 17 after the league suspended him without pay – after also taking into account his role in the mass brawl that followed his goal, as well as some of his previous offenses on the pitch. Good.

In a letter to Al-Shaair, Vice President of Policy and Rules Administration Jon Runyan told him that the league considered the tackle an “unacceptable and serious violation of the Laws of the Game.”

“Your continued disregard for the NFL’s rules of the game endangers the health and safety of both you and your opponents and will not be tolerated,” Runyan said.

Al-Shaair had to be restrained by his teammates when a brawl broke out after the tackle

Al-Shaair’s appeal hearing on his three-match suspension is Wednesday, Josina Anderson reported.

Amid the fury over his tackle, Al-Shaair released a statement on Monday morning insisting that he did not see Lawrence slide until it was ‘too late’ and that he never intended to harm him on the pitch.

‘I’ve always played the game as hard as I can. Never with the intention of harming anyone, and everyone who knows me knows that,” Al-Shaair wrote. “My goal is to hit you as hard as I can, and then I pray that you are still able to get up and play the next play.” And when the game is over, go home unscathed to your family, because it’s not personal, it’s just competition! We’re both trying to do the same thing: take care of our families!

‘I really didn’t see him slide until it was too late. And it all happens in the blink of an eye.

“To Trevor, I would like to sincerely apologize for what ultimately happened. We spoke before the game and I told you how great it was to see you back on the field and wished you the best. I would never want a player to get hurt by a hit I give him, especially if it is deemed ‘late’ or ‘unnecessary’.

“For the rest of his teammates, I can certainly understand standing behind him and defending him in a situation like this. To the rest of the people I’ve been called by every name in the book, from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villain, to racist and Islamophobic fans and people: you don’t know my heart or my character. which I don’t have to prove to any of you.

“God knows my intentions and anyone who has ever been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart.”