Respected NFL voice argues Jaguars did everything right with Trevor Lawrence deal

June 22, 2024

Some analysts wondered if Trevor Lawrence deserved a contract extension that was enough for the best terms on the market. Regardless of what they thought, the Jacksonville Jaguars went ahead and offered him a contract that made him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. So far, the reaction has been positive. Rich Eisen, for example, believes the Jags made the right decision by paying him now instead of waiting like the Dallas Cowboys did with Dak Prescott.

Eisen argued on the Rich Eisen Show that if a team has seen enough of its quarterback in the three years following the start of his rookie contract, they should sign him.

“If you believe the quarterback you saw in the first three or four years of his pro career did one or a combination of the following things,” Eisen said. “First, he showed you a path to championships with his play or his leadership skills, he put in the time and proved that he’s a true pro at building leadership pipes in your opinion.”

Eisen continued, “If he’s shown all of that and also behaved well in the community and also behaved well in the locker room and is someone that you don’t have to worry about being a black sheep at all. If that person has also been highly praised.”

“If that person is someone the general manager hired for you, if a separate head coach came in, and you’re pulling together as an organization, as a front office or as a coaching staff, it doesn’t matter what you think, you have to pay a market value. That market value was what Trevor Lawrence got.”

The Jaguars certainly saw Lawrence, who has shown he can play at a high level and has grown on and off the field since the end of his rookie season. Realizing they didn’t help their star quarterback enough last year, they made several moves that will put him in position to succeed in 2024.

Eisen goes on to say the alternative would have been to let Lawrence’s contract expire and either give him an even better contract or start over at the position. Neither option was appealing.

“Your other option is to let him play out his deal and show you what he can do for you. Go all out if you want and put him on the Kirk Cousins plan at the end, the franchise tag, and let him think that maybe you’re not going to go all out on him after all because you didn’t give him security or a contract,” Eisen said.

“Or you do a play-out and then go to free agency and get an older quarterback who has more miles on him. Do you do that? Or do you go back to the draft and start over because you don’t want to pay market value?”

Lawrence’s performance dipped last year, but he was far from the main reason the Jaguars failed to qualify for the playoffs. Although the former Clemson Tiger isn’t as highly regarded as other quarterbacks in the league, he played at a high level before the wave of injuries hit him.

Of course, there are expectations that come with the new contract, but Lawrence should meet those now that he’s healthy and surrounded by much better talent. Here’s the full clip of Eisen discussing the decision to give the fourth-year quarterback a huge deal.

Later in the discussion, Eisen points out that it might have hurt the Jaguars to take a wait-and-see approach like the Dallas Cowboys did with Dak Prescott. By waiting until the last minute to give Prescott a contract extension, Big D had to overpay him.

Prescott is now entering a new contract year and the Cowboys’ lack of urgency to pay him could be their undoing. The two most likely outcomes are letting him go next year or overpaying him again.

It’s also worth noting that they’re saving themselves a ton of money by signing Trevor Lawrence now. Additionally, they can spread the salary cap around since he has two years left on his current contract, something Dallas wasn’t able to do with Prescott.

Ultimately, the Jacksonville Jaguars have seen enough of Trevor Lawrence to know he’s their guy, so it doesn’t matter what analysts and commentators think. Still, it will be interesting to see how he performs when he no longer has to worry about his pay. Based on his performance, though, the Jags probably have no reason to worry.