Yardbarker
x
Trevor Lawrence stats that should make the Jaguars queasy
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports

Trevor Lawrence stats that should make the Jaguars queasy

The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with quarterback Trevor Lawrence — the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — on a five-year contract extension Thursday, making him the NFL's highest-paid player along with Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow. 

The contract is shocking because Lawrence has not played at an elite level, as has Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

The contract also serves as another reminder that taking a quarterback No. 1 overall is far from a guarantee of a championship or that the player will become a Hall of Famer.

That is not to say it is a bad idea to pick a QB in that spot. It's just that it's not a guarantee for success. 

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Lawrence's NFL career and QBs selected No. 1 overall. 

1. Lawrence is a turnover machine

Since Lawrence entered the NFL, no quarterback has turned the ball over more. 

Excellent QBs lurk behind him on the turnover list, including Buffalo's Josh Allen and Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, but those players have generated significantly more touchdowns than Lawrence. 

2. Lawrence is ... the Giants' Daniel Jones?

According to the numbers so far, yes.

Jones' contract pays him $40 million per season and is generally regarded as one of the worst in the NFL.
Lawrence's new deal will pay him $15 million more per year. 

3. Lawrence has not mastered the AFC South

Along with average overall individual numbers, Lawrence and the Jaguars are just 9-9 in his career against the other teams in the AFC South. 

The first step toward becoming a championship-caliber team is owning your division. 

Lawrence and the Jaguars have not done that yet. It is even more concerning because the AFC South is typically, from top to bottom, one of the NFL's weakest divisions. 

4. Quarterbacks going No. 1 is a newer trend

There was a time when teams did not take quarterbacks with the top pick due to the uncertainty in their development and the cost to sign them. From the NFL-AFL merger in 1966 until 2000 (a 34-year stretch), only 10 quarterbacks went No. 1 overall.

From 2001-24, 18 quarterbacks went No. 1 overall, including Lawrence in 2021, Bryce Young in 2023 and Caleb Williams in 2024. 

5. No. 1 QBs have not won a lot of Super Bowls (for the teams that drafted them)

Picking a quarterback with the top pick might seem like a necessary ingredient for a future championship, but history says it is not. 

Only three quarterbacks in NFL history have won a Super Bowl with the team that selected them No. 1 overall. That list includes only Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers), Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys) and Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts). (Drew Bledsoe was only the backup QB for the Patriots.)

Matthew Stafford went on to win a Super Bowl as No. 1 overall pick after the team that selected him (Detroit) traded him to the Los Angeles Rams. John Elway and Eli Manning also went on to win Super Bowls, but they came after their original teams (Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers) traded them. Neither Elway nor Manning played for the teams that drafted them.

6. Nor do they make the Super Bowl often (for the teams that drafted them)

It is not just that they do not win Super Bowls. They also do not even tend to go to the Super Bowl.

Along with the aforementioned trio of Bradshaw, Aikman and Manning, the only other No. 1 QBs to even make the Super Bowl with the team that drafted them are Jared Goff (Rams), Cam Newton (Panthers), Alex Smith (49ers), Burrow (Bengals) and Bledsoe (Patriots). 

7. Most No. 1 quarterbacks do not stick long term with the team that drafted them

Of the 38 quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall in NFL history, only 13 have played more than five seasons with the team that picked them.

That list includes Kyler Murray (this year will be year six in Arizona), Andrew Luck, Newton, Stafford, Smith, Carson Palmer, Michael Vick, (Peyton) Manning, Bledsoe, Aikman, Vinny Testaverde, Steve Bartkowski and Bradshaw.

Expect Lawrence and Burrow to join that list, but they are not there yet. 

8.  Only four No. 1 quarterbacks have made the Hall of Fame

Not only do No. 1 quarterbacks struggle to win Super Bowls for the teams that picked them, but only four of them — as of now — are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That list includes only Bradshaw, Elway, Aikman and Peyton Manning.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!