Jaguars sign Lawrence to four-year deal
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is signed, sealed and waiting to deliver.
The No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2021 NFL draft and the presumptive savior for a beleaguered franchise, signed a rookie contract last week for $36.8 million, which includes $24.1 million in guaranteed money and the usual fifth-year option.
The Jaguars didn’t release the financial terms of the deal but ESPN’s Adam Schefter, citing sources, disclosed the specifics, which are standard for NFL rookies given Lawrence’s draft standing.
In addition, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Lawrence passed a physical that was part of the deal and will get his signing bonus with 15 days, according to his sources. The contract includes no offset language and has automatic roster bonuses from 2022-24, which are guaranteed even if Lawrence is on the active/non-football injury list.
Offset clauses, which have been stumbling blocks in the past between NFL teams and rookies such as Joey Bosa and Marcus Mariota, enable a team to cut a player before his fouryear contract is completed, and have the remaining money reduced by the amount of his next contract, if he resigns with another team.
The only public comment from Lawrence was when he re-Tweeted the Jaguars’ announcement of his signing with the comment: “Gonna give #Duval everything I got. Couldn’t be more proud to represent Jacksonville. Let’s go!!!”
Three of the nine Jaguars draft picks remain unsigned: Running back Travis Etienne, Lawrence’s teammate at Clemson and the team’s other firstround pick, the 25th overall; and the two second-round picks, cornerback Tyson Campbell and offensive tackle Walker Little.
Lawrence, described by scouts, national media and almost everyone else as a “generational” quarterback, led Clemson to a 34-2 record as a starter from 2018-2020 and led the Tigers to the national championship as a freshman and is the only quarterback to lead his team to three ACC titles.
He has never lost a game he started during a high school or college regular season. Lawrence’s combination of arm strength on deep throws, touch on intermediate and short routes, deceptive running ability and high football IQ made him the most coveted quarterback by NFL teams since Andrew Luck.
Lawrence completed 66.7 percent of his passes for Clemson for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and only 17 interceptions. He had a 164.3 passer rating and also ran for 943 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Lawrence was 52-2 as a starter for Cartersville (Ga.) High School, which included a 41-game winning streak. He led his high school team to four regional titles and two state championships.
He is 86-4 as a starting quarterback entering the NFL.
The Jaguars secured the rights to the No. 1 overall pick by finishing 1-15 last season. Before drafting Lawrence, owner Shad Khan hired Urban Meyer, who guided Florida and Ohio State to three national championships.
The combination of Meyer and Lawrence has jump-started season-ticket sales and sparked the most optimism about the Jaguars re-inventing themselves since the franchise played its first season in 1995.
In rookie mini-camp, OTAs and two mandatory minicamps sessions, Lawrence has proven to be a quick study and had his best practice on the final minicamp day.
“He’s learning and he’s learning quickly,” said passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during a video conference after the final day of mandatory minicamp — who also declined to say that Lawrence would be the opening day starter. “He’s a terrific student of the game. He loves the mental preparation, he’s getting a feel for how we do things here, he’s just a true pleasure to coach because he loves it. He sits on every word, every phrase and every sound bite that you give him in meetings.”
Fourth-year wide receiver D.J. Chark was one of many offensive players who was optimistic about Lawrence’s practice sessions.
“You have Trevor, who’s still learning, but the talent is definitely there,” Chark said after one practice. “He doesn’t mind throwing it, doesn’t mind slinging it, which is something that’s going to help this offense for sure. We still have a way to go to get to where we want to be, but it’s not a bad start at all.”
Wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr., one of the free-agents brought in during the off-season, was even more bubbly after one practice.
‘’Everybody’s going around flying fast and making big plays as we should and as we knew we were going to do,’’ Jones said. ‘’Everybody’s been great taking the coaching and just having a good time. So, we’re just going to continue to do that.”
Schottenheimer said Lawrence bounced back from some early struggles and ended the OTAs and minicamp on a high note.
“As a coach, you get excited about that because you see he’s getting better, he’s stacking good days on top of one another,” Schottenheimer said.
Lawrence had off-season surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder and strained a hamstring during one OTA session. The team has been cautious with his workload and Meyer ended minicamp by praising Lawrence for his progress despite the minor physical setbacks.
“[Lawrence and Schottenheimer] have been working on this well before the draft,” Meyer said. “His retention and carry-over have been very good.
Execution at times, like you would imagine, has been up and down, especially when they start changing the looks up on defense—which obviously is going to happen a ton. But we’re very pleased with where he is. The summer is going to be great and training camp is going to be great.”
The next step will be training camp, will begins on July 27, where Lawrence and the rest of the team will be in pads and be in full contact for the first time. Fans are expected to get their first look at Lawrence a few days later.
The only home preseason game will be Aug. 14 against the Cleveland Browns. The Jaguars open the season on Sept. 12 at Houston and play at home for the first time on Sept. 19 against Denver.