While the Jacksonville Jaguars gear up for free agency, speculation about shipping Trevor Lawrence to the Pittsburgh Steelers surfaced. It all turned out to be noise, with the rumor getting ample pushback from both the national and local media. Of course, the trade chatter eventually made it to No. 16, and he made an appearance on the Kay Adams Show to discuss them.
Lawrence told Kay Adams that his agent let him know about the rumors but made it clear that it was all nonsense, pointing out that he has a no-trade clause that would veto the move.
"That's funny. I didn't really see anything," Lawrence said. "My agent texted me and was, 'Hey.' Of course, I saw it after he texted me and said, 'Hey, this is a report that's out there. I don't think there's anything to it, but I'll check into it.' I saw it, and it's funny though when he sent it to me, I was like, I wouldn't say your heart drops, but you're kind of like what?
Lawrence continued, "Then, I might think, well, I have a no-trade clause in my contract, like I would know about it if I was getting traded, or if that was something that was gonna happen. I'd have to be on board with it, which I'm not. I'm happy here in Jacksonville. Lawrence continued, "I plan on we want to win a Super Bowl here, and I think we can do that. I don't want to leave Jacksonville. I'm happy here, obviously, not going to Pittsburgh."
Adams then asked the fifth-year quarterback who began the speculation, pointing out that the Jags currently don't have a general manager and a deal couldn't have taken place.
"Okay, I can't remember. I think my agent reached out to Adam Schefter and was just like, 'Hey, hear anything about this? Because we don't have GM.' Liam texted me, actually, I guess the day after it came out, Liam said, shouldn't even have to say this, but that's not coming from us. I was like, 'Yeah, I figured, so we're all good.' He didn't even have to send that. I didn't. There was no doubt on my side, Lawrence said.
Lawrence then told Adams that he has no idea whether the Steelers wanted to trade for him, but he doesn't really care, pointing out that Jacksonville is where he wants to be.
"I have no idea. We weren't involved in conversations about that. As far as Jacksonville goes, I don't know about the Steelers' desires or wants. I don't know."
As the Knoxville, Tennessee native pointed out, the five-year contract worth $275 million he signed last offseason has a no-trade clause, and if the Jags ever wanted to move him, he would have to agree. Moreover, Jacksonville doesn't currently have a general manager in place, which wouldn't complicate a potential deal.
Sure, Ethan Waugh is the interim, but he's keeping the front office running while the organization finds a new general manager. In the meantime, he won't be making key roster moves. Below is Lawrence's full exchange with Adams. It starts at the 34:16 mark.
Trevor Lawrence's contract wouldn't made it impossible for the Jaguars to trade him
The person who first reported the rumor said that the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers were engaged in serious talks to get a trade done. However, he later softened his stance and pointed out that the Steelers were just making an inquiry. Kicking the tires if you will.
Of course, the reporter later changed the wording because why would they trade Trevor Lawrence and take on a $100+ million dead cap hit? The idea would make sense if Lawrence were troublesome or holding Jacksonville back. Neither is the case. Sure, he's coming off an underwhelming season but that doesn't mean the Jags are in a hurry to move on from him.
The bottom line is that the rumor didn't stand up to scrutiny once you took a look at Trevor Lawrence's contract situation and where he stands with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He himself knows is silly, which is why he took the nonsense in stride.