Trevor Lawrence Isn’t The Problem – But He’s Not The Solution Either

How We Got Here

The Jacksonville Jaguars were not a serious franchise when they selected Lawrence first overall in the 2021 draft. The franchise had one victory in 2020, leading to the opportunity to select the next great QB prospect. Hiring retired college football coach , and never NFL coach Urban Meyer made things a disaster from the jump. The team’s general manager, Trent Baalke, settled for low level free agents that filled out a roster that was already the worst in the league. Essentially, Lawrence was put in a deep hole that was impossible to climb out of.

Trevor Lawrence’s rookie season matters a lot when looking at the big picture. It was a disastrous year full of ugly turnovers and losing, concluding in head coach Urban Meyer being fired before seasons end. Lawrence was the first of four straight first overall QB’s to have his coach fired during his rookie season. This led to the Jaguars realizing their golden ticket wasn’t going to play savior. The franchise spent more money to surround him with talent, and new head coach Doug Pederson was brought in to rehabilitate the franchise QB.

In 2022 the Lawrence experiment peaked with a huge leap in production and dip in turnovers. Hiring Pederson was so beneficial for the franchise and their QB that it made many people wonder what could have possibly caused him to be fired by Philadelphia. It’s surreal to look back and see that the Jaguars had a the best record in the AFC going into a primetime matchup against the Bengals. That was the last time that Trevor Lawrence really looked like the QB everyone expected him to be. The worst part is that it’s not even his fault.

In that primetime game, the Jaguars backup left tackle stepped on Trevor Lawrence’s ankle, and the rest of the season was lost. Lawrence suffered a serious high ankle sprain, playing through the injury and floundered as a passer. After missing the postseason despite an 8-3 start, the franchise was faced with the tough decision to reward Trevor with a five year, $275 million deal. For his level of play, the $55 million yearly average was seen as unfair for such an unproven player. Before the price tag, there was criticism for the former first overall pick.

Now with the QB taking up enough cap space that you can no longer throw money at free agents, you should expect more out of your generational pick. By the final year of Doug Pederson’s time in Jacksonville, every party included couldn’t wait for it to be over with. Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired both head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke after the two put in less effort to help their franchise QB develop. Thankfully for Khan, he was able to bring in former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and former head of scouting from the Rams; James Gladstone, to right the Jaguars wrongs.

Misguided Blame? Or Reasonable Doubt?

The beginning of this 2025 season has mostly been a pleasant surprise in Duval, but there are still things holding Trevor Lawrence back from being the best version of himself. The Jaguars lead the NFL in drops this season by a country mile with 17 in just seven games. Not every drop shows up on the stat sheet either, as according to fantasy points 37% of Trevor Lawrence’s incompletions are due to dropped balls (Griffis, Action News Jax). This is nothing new in Jacksonville, with the Jaguars having 43 drops in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus. Advanced passing stats from Pro Football Reference show that the Jaguars have already surpassed the drop total they had as a team in 2024.

The receivers aren’t the only culprit, as the offensive line has also been crumbling as the season progresses. The line has failed to keep their QB upright and the constant penalties have put the Jaguars behind the sticks. The negated big plays happen far too often, killing drives and any momentum the offense had. Leading the league in offensive penalties and failing to capitalize on the opportunities Trevor Lawrence gives his weapons have muffled the conversation surrounding the franchise QB. That being said, Lawrence himself isn’t without blame.

I would be lying if I said that Trevor Lawrence is anything near the original expectations. For being touted as the next great QB prospect since Andrew Luck, he’s left fans with more questions than answers in his fifth season. There are aspects of his game that raise concern, especially for someone who at this point is a veteran. He’s played a role in the offensive penalties, taking inexplicable delay of games, and passing while across the line of scrimmage – twice. It’s head scratching at times, and concerning at others.

The eye test with Trevor as a passer isn’t the best at times, as he noticeably overthrows his receivers at an alarming rate. This has led to turnovers, another constant during Lawrence’s time in Jacksonville. The offense as a whole is always out of sorts with Lawrence rarely being on the same page with his receivers. This is Lawrence’s third head coach of his career, but it is still worth criticizing the malpractice within this new system. I can also fault him for his limitations. The shorter the field becomes, the less affective Trevor Lawrence is with his arm. Despite his abilities, he can rarely put the ball in the right spot and capitalize on a scoring opportunity near the goal line. The redzone has always been a problem, and the team is yet to find a solution. And that’s what this is all about, isn’t it.

End of the Trevor Lawrence Rant

Trevor Lawrence is not the answer to the Jacksonville Jaguars problems. And the problems this franchise is dealing with go far beyond the QB position. The efforts made to help the QB have mostly failed throughout Trevor’s career. This time around feels different, with Jaguars have attempted to innovate by bringing in a younger staff, and taking big swings that could change the franchises history. I do think that the nature of Lawrence’s abilities is enough to become what the league once expected him to be. However, his nurture into the league put him in a position that we see many young QB’s fail in. The life of a first overall pick is a tough one once you come into the league. You were first because you were the best, they were first because they were the worst. With the Jaguars As for Trevor, the rest of this season could make or break his tenure in Jacksonville. Just don’t forget, he can’t do it all by himself.

Stadium Rant