As Trevor Lawrence heads into his fourth year in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars star quarterback said he’s had preliminary talks with the organization about a potential extension.
However, Lawrence isn’t losing any sleep over it.
“There’s definitely been some conversations,” he said Tuesday, via ESPN. “As far as where that’s at now, it’s not really my focus. I’d love to obviously be a Jag for as long as possible. We love it here, and I love where we’re headed as an organization.
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Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
“My best ball’s definitely ahead of me.”
There is technically no rush for the Jaguars, as Lawrence can be under contract this season and in 2025, where they have a fifth-year option to exercise. They have until May 2 to exercise that option, which would pay him $25.664 million fully guaranteed for the 2025 campaign.
But Lawrence is allowed to sign an extension if he and the Jags find common ground. And given the state of quarterback contracts recently, Lawrence would obviously love to cash in.
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After the Cincinnati Bengals dished out a massive deal for Joe Burrow worth a league-high $55 million per year, four quarterbacks are now making over $50 million. The Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert is making $52.5 million, the Baltimore Ravens paid Lamar Jackson an annual average value of $52 million and the Philadelphia Eagles were swift in giving Jalen Hurts his extension worth $51 million per season.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed an unprecedented 10-year, $450 million contract during the 2020 offseason, but that was restructured to pay him $208.1 million from 2023-26, putting him in the $50 million-plus range during that span.
Lawrence, the first overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, has thrown for over 4,000 yards with 46 total touchdowns to 22 interceptions over the past two seasons. And after going a dreadful 3-14 in his rookie year, the Jaguars have gone 9-8 and 8-8 in the last two seasons as well, including a playoff win over the Chargers in 2022.
So, Lawrence’s price tag will surely be one to watch, but it won’t define the competitor and player he is on the field.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs with the ball during the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens on December 17, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“My job isn’t going to change whether I get extended or not before this season,” Lawrence explained. “My job is to go win games and to be the best I can be for this team so we can have a chance to win a Super Bowl. Even if I get the contract extension, that’s still my job even more so. So for me, I have the same focus and the same mindset.”
That said, Lawrence did admit, Iit would be nice to have that done and feel good about it.”
“But, not, it’s not really the focus right now,” he continued. “I know where we’re at, I know where we’re heading and I know what I have to do and there’s some improvements that I have to make going forward.”
Of course, Lawrence would love to cash in on his big payday earlier than expected. And for the Jaguars, that would mean they’ve seen what they intended to when they chose him first overall three seasons ago.
Despite not reaching the playoffs last season, Lawrence led the team to an 8-3 start before suffering multiple injuries, including a concussion as well as ankle and shoulder ailments that he played through. The Jags ended up going 1-5 in the second half, though, and they missed the playoffs.
Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars runs the ball during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 24, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
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Coming back healthy this season, Lawrence is hoping he can lead his team to another playoff berth. Whether that happens with a new contract or not doesn’t seem to matter to him.
But the talks are happening, and as he mentioned, it would be nice to get it done sooner rather than later.
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