What Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence has learned across NFL ups and downs

During a recent conversation with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars shared how his first three NFL seasons prepared him to serve as a franchise quarterback who inked a five-year contract extension worth up to $275M with $142M fully guaranteed at signing this offseason.

"I’ve been through all the mixes," Lawrence said. "A terrible season. A season that started really bad and we finished really great, which was 2022. And last year was the opposite, started great and finished really bad. So I’ve experienced all those elements of it, and I understand how this game works. ...You have to be playing your best at the right time, the end of the year. I think I have a better perspective of all of that. I’d say that’s the biggest thing."

Lawrence struggled as a rookie during Urban Meyer's disastrous tenure as Jacksonville's head coach, and the club then began the 2022 season at 3-7 under current coach Doug Pederson. Pederson ultimately guided that squad to a 9-8 record, a postseason berth and a shocking come-from-behind wild-card playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

More recently, the 2023 Jaguars went from 8-3 to 9-8 en route to missing the postseason. Lawrence dealt with multiple injury-related setbacks during the campaign's second half but sounds ready to bounce back in a big way after he and his teammates watched the playoffs from home this past winter.

"I think that left a little bit of a sour taste in all our mouths, the way we finished," Lawrence told Breer, also acknowledging that it "feels really good" to "have the full faith and belief of the organization" now that he's locked down via his extension.

"Obviously, the money is awesome, too," Lawrence added, "but it’s the respect, and feeling that I’m really backed by the team."

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Lawrence tied with Indianapolis Colts second-year pro Anthony Richardson and Los Angeles Rams veteran Matthew Stafford as a +3000 betting underdog to win the regular-season Most Valuable Player Award for the upcoming season. 

Needless to say, those running the Jaguars will be quite disappointed if Lawrence doesn't repeatedly outperform at least Richardson from Week 1 through at least January 2025.