He was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, touted as a generational talent, and won a wild-card game in the postseason. Add to that, he almost knocked off the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs before succumbing in a memorable playoff battle.
The quarterback in question was rewarded with a five-year, $275 million contract extension that included $200 million guaranteed, with $142 million fully guaranteed at signing. The extension will run through the 2030 season.
But now Trevor Lawrence is on the hot seat in Jacksonville, claim NFL pundits Mike Florio and Chris Simms on the “Pro Football Talk: NFL on NBC” podcast. The pressure comes thanks to a Jaguars coaching change to Liam Coen.
“The one thing we don’t know is whether or not Liam Cohen is truly a Trevor Lawrence guy,” said Florio, noting that every coach wants his own quarterback. “There’s a reason why the Jaguars job was open. And it’s not because Trevor Lawrence is playing like Aaron Rodgers.”
The podcasters admitted Lawrence’s offensive line “stunk last year. They couldn’t run the ball at all.” That, combined with a “pitiful” defense, led to a 2-8 record before Lawrence was injured and sat out for the rest of the year.
There are worse options than Lawrence, Simms admitted. “But at the same time, yeah, they need to get him fixed.” Lawrence in 2024 “was not good. It was missed throws.”
Simms concluded, “There’s way too many plays and times and games where you just go, man, you’re too good to miss that throw or to make that play right there, right then. And there was just too many moments last year that were a hair concerning for as awesome as he can be.”
Next season could be the year that Coen decides to go in another direction, they concluded. Which means Lawrence better start playing like a young Aaron Rodgers real soon.
