One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars last year was whether Trevor Lawrence could bounce back from an underwhelming 2024 season. The former Clemson Tiger was coming off a shoulder injury but had struggled even before he got hurt. Couple that with the fact that head coach Liam Coen, who had no prior attachment to him, took the reins, and it seemed like Lawrence was entering a make-or-break year. He delivered.
Although No. 16 got off to an inconsistent start to the season, he finished strong, earning MVP consideration. Now, Lawrence enters Year 2 under Coen, and he'll have a chance to prove that his hot streak later in 2025 wasn't a fluke but rather the sign of things to come. One NFL analyst, in particular, believes he has the talent to pull it off.
The Jaguars got encouraging play from Trevor Lawrence (but there's still work left)
John Kosko of Pro Football Focus grouped all 32 starting quarterbacks in tiers and placed Trevor Lawrence in "Excited for the future," poiting out that Liam Coen's arrival gave him the stability he had been missing in prior years. Here's the skinny.
"It's been a roller coaster of a career for Trevor Lawrence, marked by multiple head coaching changes," Kosko wrote. "But with Liam Coen now at the helm, he finally appears to have a stable situation to grow into. At just 26 years old, Larwence is coming off the best season of his career, earning PFF grades of 84.3 overall and 80.5 as a passer."
Kosko continued, "He still needs to clean up the turnover-worthy plays — surpassing 23 in each of his full seasons — but his big arm and athleticism, paired with a top-tier play-caller following a 13-win season, should have Jaguars fans optimistic about what comes next."
In case you were wondering, excited for the future was the third-best tier behind "things to like" and "elite."
Circling back to Lawrence, he had his work cut out for him last offseason. Aside from having to recover from the AC sprint he suffered in 2024, he had to learn Coen's offense and work on his footwork. To nobody's surprise, he had a bit of a rough time making the adjustment.
But by midseason, the Knoxville, Tennessee native was trending in the right direction. And once Jacksonville traded for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, he truly hit his stride. After the loss to the Houston Texans in Week 10, Lawrence completed 62.7 percent of his throws for 2,009 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions to close the year.
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The Jaguars should expect Trevor Lawrence to take the next step in 2026
As encouraging as Lawrence looked in the second half of the season, there are reasons to believe he can be much better in 2026. For starters, he'll have the same coaching staff for the second year in a row for the first time in his career. Moreover, he'll have a full offseason to work with Jakobi Meyers. Another season together will improve his rapport with Parker Washington, Travis Hunter, and Brian Thomas Jr.
On top of that, the Jaguars hired Brian Picucci as the run game coordinator. While his arrival won't benefit Lawrence directly, an improved rushing attack will take pressure off his shoulders. If that wasn't enough, he has a better grasp of Liam Coen's system and should be able to master it in 2026.
When you add it all up, it's easy to see Trevor Lawrence improving even more next season. Even if he doesn't get MVP consideration, it won't matter as long as he can help the Jaguars get over the hump.