The Jacksonville Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence an extension in 2024 that made him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. However, he's yet to play at a level that makes you think that he's, with total certainty, the long-term answer behind center.
Couple that with the fact that the regime that gave Lawrence the contract was shown the door after 2024, and he's become the subject of trade chatter in recent months. In fact, an NFL analyst just came up with two potential destinations for the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Trevor Lawrence was just dubbed a trade target for the LA Rams
Diante Lee took a look at how the 2026 quarterback carousel is shaping up and brought up two teams as potential destinations for Trevor Lawrence. One was the New York Jets, and the other is the Los Angeles Rams.
In his breakdown, Lee listed New York as a landing spot for Lawrence in 2021 because it has the resources in place to undergo a long-term review. But in the same breath, he notes that Jets owner Woody Johnson could hinder the team's search for a quarterback.
On the other hand, the Rams also make sense as a landing spot for Lawrence (if he were available) because they have a stacked roster and a surplus of draft picks to get a deal done. Here's the skinny.
"Los Angeles's roster is built to make deep playoff runs right now, which takes several unproven quarterback options off the table," Lee wrote. "I'd also imagine that the Rams want to avoid being on the quarterback carousel again in a couple of years, so finding a quarterback already on a long-term contract would be a major plus."
Lee continued, "So if the Rams need to replace Stafford right away, the best option might be Trevor Lawrence, a highly talented player who's under contract for several years—and who wouldn't put any weighty contract guarantees on their books. After a trade, Lawrence's contract would basically be a series of roster bonuses that pay him less than $50 million per season through 2028, a big discount for a starting quarterback of his age with high potential."
And in case you were wondering, Lee believes the cost to acquire Lawrence would be two first-round picks, so that would most definitely be a compelling offer, especially when you take into account that Jacksonville gave up its first-round selection in 2026 as part of the trade package for two-way star Travis Hunter.
With that said, there are currently no credible reports that the Jaguars plan to move on from No. 16. In fact, ownership and Liam Coen appear to fully stand behind him. Moreover, he's shown progress in recent weeks after a slow start to the 2025 season. That said, things are always fluid in the NFL.
For that reason, the Jaguars will only trade Lawrence if — and that's a big if — they have come to the conclusion that he's not their guy, and they won't make a decision just one day before the offseason. However, the organization may decide that moving on from him is the best course of action if he regresses the rest of the year or if he vastly underperforms.
The Jaguars will most likely stick with Trevor Lawrence in 2025 (and maybe beyond that)
Here's the deal, though: trading Trevor Lawrence before June 1st would have huge cap ramifications, as it would leave the Jaguars with over $75 million in dead money. Already, they're scheduled to have just a tad over $8 million in space next year, so it would be difficult to move the former Clemson Tiger without creating significant constraints.
Granted, the organization would create space by restructuring a few deals and releasing a few players. On top of that, the prospect of having a pair of first-round picks would lessen some of the blow. That said, the Jags could find it a bit challenging to build a team around another quarterback if they traded Lawrence.
Of course, the Jaguars could also keep Lawrence, and nobody would bat an eye. In fact, that is arguably the most likely outcome. After all, Lawrence has made strides in Liam Coen's scheme, which is the most complex one he's been in his career, and has performed much better since Jacksonville traded for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and tight end Brenton Strange returned to injury.
It's also worth noting that the demand for quarterbacks outweighs the supply, something the Jaguars are very well aware of, so keeping Trevor Lawrence and continuing to build around him next year seems like a no-brainer.