Lawrence, Jags agree to new $275M deal
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence is getting paid more for his potential than his performance.
Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed Thursday to a five-year, $275 million contract extension that makes him one of the highest- paid quarterbacks in NFL history, according to a person familiar with negotiations.
Lawrence’s deal includes $142 million fully guaranteed and a $37.5 million signing bonus, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side had announced the contract publicly.
Lawrence will get an average of $55 million annually during the deal, tying him with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow for the most in NFL history.
The lucrative bump comes nearly a month after Detroit gave Jared Goff a four-year extension worth $212 million that made him the second-highest paid quarterback in the league. Goff’s average salary is $53 million.
Lawrence is now the sixth QB making more than $50 million a 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 top $40 million annually, and he’s the youngest on the list.
The 24-year-old is 21-31 as a starter in three seasons, including 1-1 in the playoffs, and has a whopping 60 turnovers in three seasons — a number he needs to trim to become the player the Jags believe he can be.
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 scores and 21 fumbles lost.
The Jaguars point to a 19-game stretch spanning the 2022-23 seasons in which Lawrence was at his best. He threw for 4,713 yards, with 29 TDs and 11 INTs, as Jacksonville went 14-5 during that span. General manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson believe it’s a glimpse of what Lawrence can do when healthy and humming.
But he’s coming off an injury-filled season that Baalke called “alarming.”
The top pick in the 2021 draft missed the first game of his professional career following a sprained right shoulder sustained in Week 16 at Tampa Bay.
Lawrence also missed significant practice time because of other injuries: a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13 and a concussion in Week 15.
