You have probably heard that there's no such thing as an offseason in the NFL. This was proven true when chatter about the Jacksonville Jaguars potentially trading quarterback Trevor Lawrence made the rounds on the internet. However, the idea is ridiculous and quickly got pushback from both the national and local media.
Ryan Burr of the Big 10 Network reported that the Jags were engaged in talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers to trade Lawrence. He later added that they would get first and second-round picks in this year's draft in exchange for the fifth-year quarterback. The rumor was quickly squashed.
As Marcus Mosher of the 33rd Team noted, moving on from Lawrence less than a year after giving him a massive contract extension would leave more than $100 million in dead money. Simply put, trading him for a pair of early-round picks wouldn't make sense.
Hey guys. The Jaguars aren't trading Trevor Lawrence for a first-round pick just to eat $100M in dead cap. https://t.co/BXGazPua36
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 13, 2025
Ben Allbright of KOA 850 AM says that there's a chance the Steelers did inquire about Lawrence, noting that it's a common practice in the offseason. That said, he argues that doing due dilligence with a team that has no general manager in place isn't "having discussions."
Calling a team with a new coach (and no GM) and seeing if their QB is available for trade (and getting immediately shut down) isn’t “having discussions.”
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) February 13, 2025
It’s temperature checking and teams do it all the time.
Michael DiRocco of ESPN went a step further, pointing out that the Jags had no such conversation with the Steelers. In a prior tweet, he reported that there's no chance they would entertain the idea of trading their franchise quarterback.
Circling back, Jaguars source said no conversation with the Steelers regarding a potential trade for Trevor Lawrence took place. https://t.co/uuOGejKShQ
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) February 13, 2025
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated also shrugged at the idea of trading Lawrence to the Steelers.
Outside of the complete insanity that this would even be an option, it kills me that “Steelers want a better QB” would ever be considered “wow” or a “bombshell.”
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) February 13, 2025
But, that’s the media world we live in. Reason why I paid it no mind until source spoke on why it isn’t even factual. https://t.co/XQI46JscUT
Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union also shared his thoughts on the ridiculous idea.
Source: Jacksonville #Jaguars refute 'laughable' Trevor Lawrence to Steelers trade rumor
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) February 13, 2025
It's not happening, in fact, there was never even a call.
Read: https://t.co/EyKJHStFIt via @jaxdotcom
The idea the Jaguars would trade Trevor Lawrence is nonsense
However you look at it, there's no way the Jacksonville Jaguars would trade Trevor Lawrence just a few months after giving him a five-year deal worth $ 275 million. If they were to move on from him this offseason, he would leave over $100 million in dead money, which could in turn hamper the organization's ability to acquire talent in free agency.
You could make the case that Steezy Trev hasn't played that well since 2022, but there are no better options in either free agency or the draft. Add the fact that he's set to have manageable cap hits of $17 million and $24 million in 2025, and 2026, and it wouldn't make sense to move on from him right now.
It's also worth noting that new offensive coordinator Grant Udinski gushed about the prospect of working with Lawrence. You would think he would know if the Jags were considering trading their star quarterback, but it sure sounds like he's intrigued about the prospect of working with the former Clemson Tiger
If that wasn't enough, Jacksonville doesn't currently have a general manager. Granted, Ethan Waugh is serving as the interim, but trading a franchise player wouldn't be something a team without a full-time general manager would do.
The bottom line is that the thought of trading Trevor Lawrence is ludicrous and right got pushback from across the NFL.