Dak Prescott helped Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence avoid earning questionable award

• Thanks for the assist, Dak.

Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) walks back to the huddle against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at EverBank Stadium.
Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) walks back to the huddle against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at EverBank Stadium. | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence a monster extension last year because he had played well enough to make them believe he was the long-term answer behind center. However, the former Clemson Tiger was less than impressive in 2024 and his deal doesn't look as great in retrospect.

That said, there was another quarterback who signed a new contract before the regular season, and was even worse. Former NFL agent Joel Corry took it into account when handing a series of awards.

In his 2024 contract awards, Corry brought the spotlight to the best and worst deals teams gave last year. Surprisingly, he didn't include Lawrence and the Jaguars for the worst contract. It was Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys who earned the questionable honor. Here's the skinny.

"Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dragged his feet on a Dak Prescott extension. Prescott's four-year, $240 million extension, averaging $60 million per year, to make him the NFL's highest-paid player wasn't done until hours before Dallas' regular-season opener. The deal has an NFL-record $231 million in guarantees where $129 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The $129 million includes a $78,453,333 signing bonus, which is the largest ever.

The Cowboys picked up $10,516,667 of 2024 salary cap room with the Prescott deal that could have come in handy with a more timely extension. "

Corry goes on to say that Prescott had all the leverage in negotiations, but owner Jerry Jones didn't do themselves any favors by dragging contract talks until late in the offseason. Heading into 2025, the Cowboys quarterback has a whopping cap hit of $89.9. For comparison, Lawrence is set to count a manageable $17 million after signing a five-year deal worth $275 million last offseason.

The issue with Prescott isn't that he has a massive cap hit but rather that he's coming off an underwhelming season. Granted, Lawrence didn't fare much better. In fact, he probably had his worst campaign since he was a rookie.

In 10 games last year, Lawrence completed 60.6 percent of his throws for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In Week 9, he suffered a torn labrum that would ultimately cut his season short.

It's time for Trevor Lawrence to be franchise QB the Jaguars expect

The Jacksonville Jaguars failed to put Trevor Lawrence in a position to succeed the past two years, whether it was by failing to coach him properly or surrounding him with enough talent. Having said that, he must also shoulder some of the blame for his struggles. For instance, his mechanics and decision-making weren't great in 2024. Those are two areas where he'll need to improve next season.

Having to miss a part of the offseason while recovering from the many ailments Lawrence suffered in 2023 could in part explain his shortcomings. However, there's a point where players must deliver in spite of their circumstances. No. 16 didn't last season.

Lawrence now enters 2025 needing to prove that giving him a contract extension wasn't a mistake. Working in his favor is that head coach Doug Pederson is gone and Liam Coen took his place.

In his lone season as the offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Coen helped Baker Mayfield set career highs for passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage rate, and touchdown percent rate. Lawrence could enjoy a similar surge in production. After all, he proved in 2022 that he can play like a top-10 quarterback.

Another thing working in Lawrence's favor is that Coen will fix the running game. Tampa Bay had the worst rushing attack in 2023, but once he took over, they became one of the top 5 in the NFL. By establishing the run, the Jaguars' offense will be less predictable, which will in turn take pressure off their quarterback's shoulders.

The bottom line is that Steezy Trev has his work cut out, and if he bounces back next season, his contract will look much better. On the other hand, the Dallas Cowboys are surely feeling buyer's remorse just one year after giving Dak Prescott a new deal.

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