Jaguars' Liam Coen shares challenge for Trevor Lawrence ahead of critical season

First-year head coach Liam Coen wasn't with the Jacksonville Jaguars when they made quarterback Trevor Lawrence the first overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

That said, it's clear the Jaguars hired Coen because they believe the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator will help Lawrence become the star the Jaguars hoped they had when they signed the 25-year-old to a five-year contract extension worth up to $275M last offseason.

Coen recently shared somewhat of a challenge for Lawrence ahead of what could prove to be a critical season for the organization. 

"We need him to play well, but we’re going to have to play well around him and help him," Coen said, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic. "We’ve got to run the football better to help Trevor Lawrence. We’ve got to turn over the ball more on defense to help Trevor Lawrence. But Trevor needs to take it over, and he’s done a phenomenal job of learning the system, putting in the time and work."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed earlier in July that league executives, coaches and scouts surveyed by the network did not rank Lawrence among the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks for the 2025 season. That's at least a little alarming considering how much Jacksonville is paying its QB1 compared to what signal-callers such as Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield and  Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders are due to earn. 

Per Pro Football Reference stats, Lawrence ended the 2024 regular season ranked 17th in the NFL among qualified players with a 59.5 adjusted QBR, 28th with an 85.2 passer rating and 35th with a 60.6 percent completion percentage. More recently, he tallied 85 correct answers for a 100-question quiz regarding the offense that was handed to Jacksonville quarterbacks when they reported for camp on July 19.

"He blew the doors off (the test)," Coen said about Lawrence. "And it’s showed (in practice). It’s showed in his command of the huddle, the way he calls plays. He’s being asked a lot on every single play."

Interestingly, Lawrence was the subject of some trade rumors during the offseason. Additionally, he was shut down this past December to undergo shoulder surgery after he suffered a second concussion across roughly 12 months, and he dealt with "general soreness" in his throwing arm back in June. Questions about his durability will inevitably hover over the Jaguars if he can't make 17 starts in Coen's first season with the club. 

"I have a ton of confidence in what we’re doing, and that feels really good," Lawrence told Howe. "From a scheme perspective, I’ve never been in a system like this. I’ve seen it work with other teams and players, and you can plug and play all these different types of quarterbacks and receivers, and they’ve all had success. That makes me excited for the group we have."

The Jaguars gave Lawrence a new weapon in two-way rookie Travis Hunter, but it remains to be seen how many total snaps Hunter will play when the games begin to matter. If Hunter is as good or even better than advertised, Lawrence could produce the best season of his career in Coen's offense.