NFL draft bust argues Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence deserves every penny he got

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf raised eyebrows when he said Trevor Lawrence was the eighth-best quarterback in the AFC. He's changed his tune ever since and is now one of his biggest supporters. Just recently, Leaf said that Steezy Trev deserves all the money the Jacksonville Jaguars paid him.

Lawrence signed a five-year extension worth $275 million with $200 million guaranteed. Leaf appeared on Up & Adams and argued that the Knoxville, Tennessee native has done enough to earn a top-market deal, noting that no other player has done as much as him for the Jags in recent years.

"I met Trevor after his freshman year when I went to Clemson to speak," Leaf told host Kay Adams. "Him and I've stayed in touch ever since. The kids have never lost before, right? And then, he gets Urban Meyer in Year 1 and loses more games than he ever had combined. And to see him fight and keep fighting through it. He's the leader of that football team."

"If you're telling me there's another quarterback that is going to do a better job than what Trevor Lawrence can do in Jacksonville and ultimately get them to the place they need to get to, you're selling me something that isn't real because he is the guy. So yes, he deserves top-tier money. If you don't want to put his statistics out there. Fine. I'm okay with that. And that's the way people like to do it. I think he's the franchise of the Jacksonville Jaguars," Leaf said.

Leaf adds that he likes the moves Jacksonville made in the offseason and argues that it's easy to forget that Lawrence played through injuries in the second half of the 2023 season. In his eyes, though, he's proven he's a franchise quarterback.

"I liked what they did this offseason and retaining Josh Allen on the defensive side, thought they needed that. The injury was really something in the fact that he went out... If you remember that injury against Cincinnati, there's no way any of us thought that he would do that."

Leaf continued, "The next week, let alone maybe the rest of the year the way he went down with that type of injury. Where was he the next week in Cleveland? Out on the field throwing 55 times. In that instance, he's your franchise quarterback. He deserves the money."

This isn't the first time Leaf vouches for Lawrence. Earlier this year, he said that the former Clemson Tiger deserve a top-market contract. Moreover, he's reminded everyone that he dealt with injuries for most of the second half in 2023 and that the Jaguars were 15-3 dating back to 2022 before they piled up.

Based on his latest comments, it's fair to say that Leaf has been consistent in his opinion about Lawrence and holds him in high esteem. Here's his exchange with Adams.

The consensus agrees Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence deserved to get paid

Ryan Leaf joins the list of analysts and talking heads who believe Trevor Lawrence deserves to get paid. Bucky Brooks is one of them. Chris Canty is another. Here's the latter sharing his thoughts on the extension the star quarterback signed.

As Canty noted, Lawrence gives the Jaguars a chance week in and week out. You cannot say the same about every quarterback in the NFL. It's also worth pointing out that most of his critics forget to mention that he saw pressured at an alarming rate last season.

But leaving aside what critics or supporters think, the Jacksonville Jaguars are most definitely convinced Trevor Lawrence is their franchise quarterback. Then again, it doesn't hurt that Ryan Leaf does a great job explaining why they made the right call when they gave him a massive extension.

More Jaguars analysis here: