The Jacksonville Jaguars showed they're committed to Trevor in the offseason, upgrading his arsenal of weapons and beefing up the offensive line. This is understandable when you take into account that the past regime didn't always put him in a position to succeed. With an improved supporting cast, a local voice argues that it's time for the fifth-year quarterback to step up.
Ryan "Green" Hacker of 1010XL argues that it's fair to rank Lawrence lower than other young quarterbacks based on how things played out last season.
"Trevor Lawrence is still a really young guy, all things considered. He's on the top 10, top 12 youngest quarterbacks in the league. Still, even though he's entering his fifth year as a starter, and that's both good and bad again," Hacker argued. "Let me read off these names again, Trevor's still very young, but so is CJ Stroud, so is Jaden Daniels, so is Brock Purdy, so is Bo Nix, Caleb Williams. You could argue any of those guys that I just rattled off; you might have ranked higher than Trevor Lawrence, if you're doing a list of quarterbacks, age regardless. Most of you would probably have CJ Stroud ranked above Trevor."
Hacker continued, "I would say most of you would probably have Jayden Daniels, at least, based on last year, ranked above Trevor, Brock Purdy, I think you have to rank him above Trevor, at least right now. I don't think it's outlandish to say Bo Nix coming into 2025 is thought more fondly of than Trevor Lawrence. Look, Trevor is still among the youngest quarterbacks in the league. He'll turn 26 in October.
Lawrence has routinely popped up in the late teens and early 20s of most quarterback rankings following the 2024 season. And most of the passes Hacker mentioned routinely get a higher spot. However, he thinks the former Clemson Tiger can narrow down the gap and even work his way up in rankings, but the time is now for him to deliver.
"Entering year No. 5, there is still a ton of time for Trevor to make up for the lost years, make up for a majority of the first four years of his career, and become the quarterback, or at least close to the quarterback that we wanted him to become. Plenty of time left," Hacker said.
"Having said that, there are guys that are younger than him that you would probably put over him right now, like a CJ Stroud, like a Jayden Daniels, potentially a Brock Purdy, a Bo Nix, even a Caleb Williams. We'll see what happens. Time's not running out for Trevor, but we're getting to the point where it needs to start happening for Trevor 26 in October. This is the year, man, this time is now."
With C.J. Stroud at the helm, the Houston Texans have won the AFC South in back-to-back seasons. Bo Nix struggled early in 2024 but improved as his rookie season progressed and helped the Denver Broncos reach the NFL playoffs. Jayden Daniels, on the other hand, helped the Washington Commanders get to the NFL Championship.
Meanwhile, the Jags went 4-13 last season. Trevor Lawrence struggled and had his season cut short by an AC sprain. He's currently recovering and is expected to bounce back in 2025.
Trevor Lawrence will once again be the NFL darling if he delivers for the Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence hasn't precisely been dreadful the past two years, but he hasn't been great either. Granted, his supporting cast was inadequate, and Doug Pederson's coaching was ineffective in that span.
On the other hand, his mechanics and decision-making suffered a dip in 2024. He must be accountable for that. Moreover, the Knoxville, Tennessee native has struggled to stay healthy. And while there's an element of randomness to injury, the most important ability in the NFL is availability. He hasn't had it.
The silver lining is that if Lawrence bounces back and reclaims his spot as a top-10 quarterback, analysts will no longer talk about his past struggles and will instead discuss his career revival under head coach Liam Coen. And that's the thing, he's still the same talented player he was coming out of college, and the pieces are there for him to succeed.
Lawrence's arsenal of weapons now includes Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, and Dyami Brown. His offensive line got upgrades in the offseason and should give him better protection. On top of that, the Jags will put a renewed emphasis on running the ball, so he won't have to put the team on his shoulders, be flawless, and score 30 points per game to win. If that wasn't enough, Coen should get the most out of him like he did with Baker Mayfield during his stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Simply put, Trevor Lawrence has a great opportunity to show he's the quarterback the Jaguars thought he was when they drafted him first overall in 2021. It will be up to seize him. Otherwise, his future in Jacksonville will be a hot topic of discussion.