Jaguars win the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes by losing to Bears

The Jaguars didn’t win many games this season but losing to the Bears in Week 16 means Jacksonville has won the race to draft Trevor Lawrence. 

Jacksonville never looked like a team tanking for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but it’s hard to argue with the Jaguars’ results. Falling to 1-14 after a Week 16 loss to the Chicago Bears puts the franchise in a position to net one of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory.

Barring a massive trade that would rock the NFL, Trevor Lawrence will become the franchise quarterback the Jaguars desperately crave. That’s good news for everyone in Jacksonville not named Mike Glennon, Gardner Minshew, or Jake Luton. Those three quarterbacks will not become afterthoughts on the Jaguars’ 2021 roster if they even manage to make the team.

Lawrence’s impact on the Jaguars will be especially impactful for the talented skill players the team has already amassed on offense. D.J. Chark has managed to put up good numbers for the Jaguars despite the team’s mediocre quarterback play. He, Keelan Cole, and Laviska Shenault suddenly look like a much more dangerous receiving corps with Lawrence throwing them football in 2021 and beyond.

Landing Lawrence should also make the Jaguars’ upcoming head coaching vacancy more attractive. Doug Marrone almost certainly will be fired at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. The team’s front office will use the allure of coaching Lawrence as a massive selling point as it searches for the team’s next head coach.

The big loser in this entire scenario is the New York Jets. Adam Gase’s team looked destined to land the No. 1 pick before an improbable victory over the Rams in Week 15. Following that win up with an equally-unlikely victory over the Browns, the following week eliminated any possibility of the Jets’ securing Lawrence without making a seismic trade.

Any team hoping they can land Lawrence knows they’ll have to blow the Jaguars away with a trade offer. Don’t count on any team being successful in that endeavor. Lawrence appears destined to suit up for the Jaguars when next season begins.