Trevor Lawrence has 275 million reasons to not have any excuses for the 2025 season. That’s the value of the rookie extension he signed to stay in Jacksonville ahead of last season. Yet, he didn’t finish the year and is now inching toward Deshaun Watson territory of stealing money from an NFL team. In no way am I comparing their situations, but Lawrence is right to recognize that he has to prove he’s worth $55 million a year.
The Jacksonville Jaguars invested in him and while the they weren’t in a good position when they got him, they did reach the playoffs and get a Wild Card Round win two seasons ago. Instead of building on that, Jacksonville regressed tremendously. Lawrence may be on his third coach and a reshuffling of the front office, but don’t let that overshadow the fact that he has to have results this season.
If Lawrence doesn’t step up this season, some real conversations are on the horizon about how good he actually is. At this point, there’s no more potential. He either is good or he isn’t. The 2025 season is very much about redemption, coming off a season-ending injury. But it’s also about proving to the rest of the NFL that the Jags were right to invest in him.
Trevor Lawrence recognizing he’s out of excuses is a start, but he’s still got work to do
This Jacksonville team is in an interesting situation. They cleaned house and tried to build around Lawrence as best as they could. But ultimately, regardless of who’s around Lawrence, it’s up to him to elevate this offense. It’s one thing if the Jags were losing but he was playing well, similarly to what Joe Burrow went through last year.
But Jacksonville is losing and Lawrence is mediocre at best. He’s had some serious issues with turning the ball over, which he needs to address. Brian Thomas Jr. has risen as the No. 1 choice on the offense with two-way phenom, Travis Hunter, as 1A. With a playmaker like Hunter to go to, Lawrence once again has to prove his worth.
"I got a lot of good years left ahead of me, and I need to really turn it on. And I think what we've built around me and what they've done this offseason has been a great start,” Lawrence said during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, h/t NFL.com.
I’d be less optimistic. Right now, he just has a lot of years left, but the jury’s still out on whether those are good years or not. He’s had just one good year in the four he’s been in the NFL.
The 2025 season is make or break for Lawrence. Anything less than elite play and it’s clear he was an overrated No. 1 overall pick. I’m not even saying the Jaguars have to win the division or reach the playoffs. He just needs to be the reason his team is winning and not be the reason it’s losing.
Only then can we start changing the narrative on what Lawrence will be in this league; maybe he’ll look less like a bust and more like a franchise cornerstone.