The Jacksonville Jaguars just announced their team captains for the 2026 season. In total, eight players earned the distinction, but the truth is that beyond the number, there probably weren't many surprises, as they were all deserving of the honor. As expected, Trevor Lawrence got the nod, marking the sixth time in his career that he earned the distinction.
Before this year's announcement, Lawrence was tied with retired center Brandon Linder for the most captain selections in team history with five. Now, No. 16 stands alone, after being chosen six times.
The Jaguars unanimously named Trevor Lawrence team captian
Liam Coen met with the local media not long after the Jaguars announced their team captains. He said that Trevor Lawrence was deserving of the honor, noting that the sixth-year quarterback has dealt with adversity throughout his career.
"I think you look at the consistency towards the back half of the year in his play, but also I think if you're a teammate of Trevor and you see what he's gone through to get to where he's at, it hasn't just been like this smooth, straight line. He's dealt with some stuff. He's dealt with some highs, some lows, some adversity in his career, injuries, whatever it is, and come out on the other side of things and needs to go and prove it again, right?"
Coen continued, "Continue to prove what he wants to be in this league in terms of a consistent competitor, but his teammates. I've just seen the ownership of the offense, and the entire offense sees that him, and he got every single vote on the offensive side of the ball. So that's something that I think, like you mentioned, sometimes organically occurs from the quarterback position. But when you get every single vote on the offense, it's telling that the guys look to him, and he has a way of doing it."
Later in the exchange, Coen says Lawrence isn't the rah-rah kind of leader but rather the player that leads by example.
"I think he's taken more guys on the side at times throughout this offseason, maybe more than he did a year ago, right? And his leadership style is unique in his own way. He doesn't have to be a rah-rah guy out in front. It's the way that he prepares throughout the week, the way that he holds his teammates to a standard of preparation throughout the week. I thinkthat's kind of where you've seen a little bit of his evolution as a leader on this team."
On a related note, Josh Hines-Allen was also named team captain, making it the fifth time in his career that he's received the distinction. Below is Coen's full exchange with the local media. His remarks about Lawrence being named captain start at the 3:01 mark.
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The Jaguars have the perfect leader in Trevor Lawrence
When you think of leaders on the football field, you probably picture a player forming a circle and giving a pre-game speech. But leading is more than that. It's giving advice when other players reach out to you, calling out someone if he's doing something he shouldn't be doing, and keeping everyone focused when things aren't going right. Trevor Lawrence certainly fits the bill, and it's telling that he was voted unanimously.
Then again, it's not particularly surprising. He's been on the team six years and has gone through a lot, whether it's the highs of making the playoffs or the lows of the Urban Meyer debacle and the 2023 late-season collapse.
Of course, the Jaguars need Trevor Lawrence to step up not only in the locker room but on the football field as well. If he does, they will achieve big things in 2026.
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