Weak 2026 QB class will force Jaguars to rethink Trevor Lawrence's future

Throughout the year, you have probably heard or seen chatter about the Jacksonville Jaguars potentially moving on from Trevor Lawrence in 2026. The biggest reason behind the idea is that the former Clemson Tiger may not be a good fit in Liam Coen's system. Couple that with the fact that he hasn't truly taken the league by storm this season, and it's easy to see the Jags at least weighing their options.

In Lawrence's defense, Coen seems to be fully behind him. Moreover, trading him would leave a significant amount of dead money, which would, in turn, make it difficult to address the larger scale roster next year. If that wasn't enough, there's another factor that would make the Jags think twice about the possibility of bringing in another quarterback.

The Jaguars won't be able to find a replacement for Trevor Lawrence in 2026

As inconsistent as Trevor Lawrence has been this season, he isn't the reason the Jaguars have lost four of their last five games. Could he have done enough? You bet, but his supporting cast has left much to be desired. The team's brass surely knows that, which is why you haven't seen reliable reports about Jacksonville moving on from him next year. But even if they did, none of their options would be particularly enticing.

Todd McShay of ESPN recently posted on Twitter that quarterback prospects Dante Moore and LaNorris Sellers will tentatively return to college next year, leaving Ty Simpson and Fernando Mendoza as the only viable options in the top 10 of the 2026 draft.

The quarterback market in free agency won't be any better. Mac Jones may be the best options for teams in need at the position, and even if the Jaguars were looking to replace Lawrence, it's hard to picture them targeting Jones, who has already spent a season in Jacksonville.

It doesn't make sense to swap Trevor Lawrence for Mac Jones

Now, Jones has enjoyed somewhat of a career revival with Kyle Shanahan, and he'll have a robust market in a year in which there won't be any other alternatives. And that's the thing, it doesn't make sense for the Jaguars to move on from Trevor Lawrence, which would leave the team in subpar cap shape, and then make a big investment at quarterback in 2026.

Of course, Jacksonville could set its sights on other quarterbacks, but as noted before, none of the options are great: Jameis Winston? Russell Wilson? Both would arguably be a downgrade.

The Jaguars may ultimately consider the idea of cutting ties with Trevor Lawrence in 2026, especially if he struggles in the second half, but the fact that the quarterback market won't be great should most definitely force them to ditch the idea. At this point, their best bet might be to stick with him and add upgrades to his supporting cast in hopes he can take the next step.