The Jacksonville Jaguars went 13-4 and conquered the AFC South in 2025 in good part because of Trevor Lawrence. They were winning early in the season, even though he wasn't playing particularly well. But once No. 16 hit his stride, the Jags truly became hard to beat. Now, he is entering his second year under head coach Liam Coen and should be even better. Heck, nobody should bat an eye if Lawrence joins the MVP conversation early in 2026. Yet, he isn't getting the recognition he deserves.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN surveyed several execs and coaches around the league and put together a top-10 quarterback ranking. Trevor Lawrence didn't make the cut, but at least popped up as an honorable mention.
ESPN's NFL poll left Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence out
A veteran AFC offensive coach told Jeremy Fowler that Trevor Lawrence improved under Liam Coen, noting that the Jaguars are putting him in a position to succeed with a better supporting cast. Here's the skinny.
"He has controlled his turnovers and just has a better understanding of what defenses are trying to do against him," The coach said, via Fowler. "He plays better ball when the offensive infrastructure and personnel around him set him up for success instead of asking him to do everything on your own. Liam [Coen] did a nice job in Year 1 of giving him the answers to the test pre-snap."
Josh Allen took the top spot, Patrick Mahomes finished second, and Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, landed at No. 3. Other quarterbacks who made the cut were Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, and Caleb Williams.
While the praise is encouraging, Lawrence failed to crack the top 10. You can either look at the glass half full or the one that's half empty.
On the one hand, Lawrence still has his work cut out to routinely brougth up as a top 10 quarterback. Just recently, he was snubbed in PFF's power ranking of the 32 NFL quarterbacks, popping out at No.
On the other hand, Lawrence has shown notable improvement after being under pressure to deliver in 2024. That year, he would routinely appear in the late teens or the early 20s in most rankings. However, the former Clemson Tiger played at a top 10 level to close 2025, completing 62.6 percent of his throws for 1,856 yards with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. On top of that, he had four rushing touchdowns in that span.
When you add it all up, Lawrence is slowly but steadily climbing his way up quarterback rankings, and the Jags will give him the push he needs to get him over the hump next season.
The Jaguars are setting Trevor Lawrence up for success
Apart from Drake Maye, all the quarterbacks who made the top 10 have been in the NFL for a while. And some of them needed time to get where they are. That's great news for Trevor Lawrence, who is at last getting all the help he needs to truly reach his potential.
Liam Coen was able to get the most out of Lawrence in his first season, unlike Doug Pederson or Urban Meyer. Although the No. 1 overall pick in 2021 had trouble learning Coen's scheme, he played much better once he had a good grasp of it. He should be even better in his second year in the same offense.
Also working in Lawrence's favor is that Jacksonville gave him a strong supporting cast to work with, so he doesn't have to be perfect in every game to win. It also helps that the sixth-year quarterback had to rehab injuries each of the past two offseason but is fully healthy ahead of the 2026 season.
The Jaguars are indeed setting Trevor Lawrence up for success, and he will make it impossible to leave him out of every top 10 next season if he makes the most of the situation he's in.
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