Few quarterbacks have come into the NFL with the fanfare and expectations that former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence came into the league with. Coming out of Clemson in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence was widely seen as the best quarterback prospect to enter the NFL Draft since 1983 and former Stanford quarterback and eventual Hall of Famer John Elway.
The Jacksonville Jaguars took Lawrence with the first pick, expecting him to come in and make an instant, dramatic change in the team’s fortunes moving forward. Unfortunately for both Lawrence and the Jaguars, those expectations haven’t exactly been met during Lawrence’s tenure with the club. Lawrence has been somewhat productive in his four seasons with the team, but that production has only translated to one trip to the playoffs and one playoff win.
Still, the Jaguars had seen enough from their young quarterback to hand him a mega extension in the offseason – a deal that made Lawrence one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, despite a distinct lack of playoff success. The Jaguars worked to improve the talent around Lawrence in the offseason, hoping that would be the key to unlocking his – and the team’s – full potential.
That hasn’t happened for the Jaguars in 2024. In fact, this season has been the exact opposite, and the Jaguars’ season is quickly circling the drain. It’s enough to have at least one NFL analyst questioning whether or not the Jaguars “paid a bust” when giving Lawrence his massive extension.
Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brad Gagnon recently published his quick thoughts on each team heading into Week 4, and for the Jaguars Gagnon is wondering if the Lawrence extension was really worth it. Since coming into the league, Lawrence has achieved a passer rating of just 84.5, which ranks as the 26th quarterback out of 29 qualifiers. That, combined with the lack of playoff success and the disaster that 2024 has started off as, has Gagnon wondering if the Jaguars made the right choice, and why fans are “surprised that Trevor Lawrence hasn’t delivered.”
