Offseason moves prove Jaguars know Trevor Lawrence is their franchise QB

Trevor Lawrence has shown he can play at a high level but is yet to solidify his spot as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Analyst Judy Battista of NFL Media opines that the Jacksonville Jaguars will find out whether he's a franchise signal-caller in 2024, but what if they already did? What if they're making upgrades to his supporting cast because they believe he's the long-term answer behind center?

Battista and colleague Cameron Wolfe had a regarding Lawrence, noting that the Jags are giving Lawrence ownership of the offense because they want him to take his game to the next level.

"They are willing to make this offense as Trevor Lawrence as he's willing to allow them to do. That's what you're you're hearing when you hear Doug Peterson talk about the vocal element of Trevor Lawrence," Wolfe said. "He can play. With Doug, whatever you put out there, but we want to have the best opportunity for us as the Jaguars to succeed. You mentioned the end of last year. 2022 was such a highlight because they overachieved. Last year, they underachieved."

Wolfe continued, "They were 8-3 and lost five of their last six games and it was a collapse. This offseason a lot of looking at themselves in the mirror and say, how do we unlock that next level? They talk about Trevor Lawrence Year 3, like most Jaguars fans, erase the Urban Meyer year. So the third year, they're looking for Trevor Lawrence to say, Okay, where can you lead us now? We built this team around you, where can you take us to the next step?"

Just recently, Doug Pederson said that there's a day and night difference in Lawrence's leadership, pointing out that he's now giving ideas and suggestions the coaching staff. Battista then adds the Jaguars will now find out whether Lawrence is their guy,

"It's going to be on Trevor Lawrence to bring the Jaguars back in there and take the fight to the Houston Texans. He's got Gabe Davis, a new receiver. Christian Kirk is coming back. He's gonna have some weapons, but this is the moment where we're going to see if Trevor Lawrence is the guy who can step forward and lead this offense after what I think it's been sort of a rocky up and down to his career," Battista said.

Wolfe then goes on to say that having Christian Kirk back in the fold should be huge. Back in 2022, he was Lawrence's go-to target, and the offense suffered a dip when he missed time last year. As Battista also noted, Gabe Davis, who signed a three-year deal in free agency, will give the offense a deep threat.

Although Davis isn't a burner, he's averaged 16.7 yards per reception in his career. Add the fact that the front office reinforced the offensive line, and Lawrence should resemble his 2022 version next season.

And that's the thing. The Jaguars would like Lawrence to cut down on turnovers and take the next step but that doesn't mean that they have doubts about him being their franchise signal-caller. Quite the contrary. Here's Wolfe's full exchange with Battista.

Why the Jaguars know Trevor Lawrence is their guy

The Jacksonville Jaguars have spared no expense to put Trevor Lawrence in the position to succeed. Last year, their lack of decisiveness left the roster devoid of depth and talent. After a disappointing end to 2023, they did a 180, addressing most needs on both sides of the ball this past offseason. However, their biggest move is yet to come.

The Jaguars have been actively working to extend Lawrence. He said as much and general manager Trent Baalke later confided. Head coach Doug Pederson later chimed in and said that he would like to see the star quarterback get paid so he can focus on other things. That's not the stance of a team that isn't confident about their quarterback.

This goes on to show that Jacksonville already thinks Lawrence is their guy. If he weren't, why would they build a well-rounded team around him? More importantly, why would they be prepared to make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league if they didn't think he deserved it?

Simple, the Jaguars know Trevor Lawrence is their guy and they're acting accordingly. Of course, he'll need to win before he gets widespread recognition around the league. However, he should have no trouble pulling it off, with the Jacksonville doing more than enough to put him in a position to succeed.

More Jaguars analysis here: