One of the main reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen in 2025 was to help Trevor Lawrence. Coming off an injury-marred season, the former Clemson Tiger needed to show that he was the long-term answer at quarterback.
While Lawrence went through some rough stretches throughout the season, he ended up posting career numbers and leading the Jags to the playoffs. Fast forward to 2026, and there are no longer concerns about his viability as a starting quarterback. This is why it's not particularly surprising to see him get favorable marks in a recent review.
The Jaguars don't have to worry about Trevor Lawrence in 2026
Alex Ballentino of Bleacher Report posted a panic meter for every NFL team's quarterback situation. He gave the Jaguars a two, pointing out that Trevor Lawrence showed substantial improvement under Liam Coen.
"After struggling through several coaching changes during Lawrence's time in Jacksonville, they put together a strong season," Bellentino wrote. "The 2021 No. 1 overall pick helped lead the Jags to a 13-4 season and the AFC South title behind one of the league's best offenses over the second half of the season. There should be excitement in Jacksonville about what Lawrence can do with another full offseason with Coen."
Keep in mind that Ballentino isn't only assessing each club's starter, but rather the overall situation of their quarterback room. Regarding Jacksonville's backup situation, he believes Nick Mullens is a fine QB2, noting that he fills that role well.
"Mullens works well as a backup for the Jaguars. There isn't a pressing need to chase a high-upside No. 2, and he has proved to be a solid option in that role."
If Lawrence went down, Mullens could come through and keep the offense afloat for a couple games. But anything more than that, though, the Jags could be in trouble. That said, he's a fine quarterback who could win a few games if he avoids mistakes and gets the fall onto his playmaker's hands.
You could make the case that the Jaguars should find a better backup quarterback, but it doesn't look like they want to invest in the position, which makes sense when you take into account that a high-end option could make $8 million to $10 million per year. The team's brass may want to allocate that kind of resources to other positions. With that said, it wouldn't hurt to use a late-round pick on a developmental prospect.
Circling back to Lawrence, he was able to at last put it all together under Coen. He struggled as a rookie because Urban Meyer failed to put him in a position to succeed. The Knoxville, Tennessee native managed to play better when Doug Pederson took over,
However, once Pederson stopped being actively involved in his quarterback's growth, Lawrence regressed. Couple that with the fact that he dealt with a myriad of ailments in 2023 and 2024 that hindered his performance, and it's easy to see why he entered 2025 needing to quell concerns.
Lawrence passed the test with flying colors, completing 60.9 percent of his throws for 4,007 yards with 29 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions in 2025. He also added nine rushing touchdowns for a total of 38 total touchdowns, a career high.
What's next for the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence?
After putting together a banner season, Trevor Lawrence must show that 2025 wasn't an outlier but rather a sign of things to come. He'll have several things working in his favor.
For starters, Lawrence will be fully healthy for the offseason program, a luxury he hasn't had in a while and will allow him to fully focus on getting better. On top of that, the sixth-year quarterback won't have to spend months tweaking his footwork like he did last year. Last but not least, he'll enter his second season under Liam Coen.
Last year, it took Lawrence a while to get a firm grasp of Coen's scheme. But once he got hold of it, he played a high level. Now, he'll get to build off of his strong finish to 2025.
When you add it all up, Trevor Lawrence is in a position to hold his spot as one of the top quarterbacks, while the Jaguars will have no trouble picking up where they left off last year.