Jaguars still need way more from QB Trevor Lawrence

That pass can not happen in that situation. It was first down, time was not an issue, and they should have had at least three more plays to try and get in the end zone. You can question the play call, you can criticize the play call, and you can certainly ask questions about head coach Doug Pederson and the Jaguars' coaching staff. All of that is valid, especially as they appear to be way in over their heads in trying to turn this team around.

But your $275M quarterback can not miss that pass that badly in that spot with the game on the line. 

Going back to the end of the 2023 season, the Jaguars are only 2-12 in the past 14 games that Lawrence has started, while he has thrown 13 interceptions and fumbled eight times. While the record is not entirely on the quarterback — the coaching staff and the rest of the roster are all issues — he has simply not done enough to elevate the team or play at a level that justifies the contract.

They need more from him, and they need it now. 

The problem with second- and third-tier quarterbacks is that when it comes time for their contract to come due they often get paid like top-tier quarterbacks because the position is so important. Nobody wants to lose their guy and have to start over and risk downgrading at the position. But that line of thinking needs to be scrapped by NFL front offices because there is a far bigger risk in signing the wrong quarterback. There are enough examples of quarterbacks signing cheaper deals in free agency and finding a home in the right situation (Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, Sam Darnold in Minnesota, Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, Joe Flacco in Indianapolis, Geno Smith in Seattle) that teams should not feel the need to invest this much in a quarterback that has not proven to be a game-changer. 

Everything about Lawrence's career to this point suggests that he is, at best, a fringe top-10 quarterback. More realistically he is probably in the 12-15 range. They are paying him like he is one of the top five. That creates significant salary cap problems when it comes to building a competitive team around him.