Former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence met with the media earlier this week as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offseason program got underway.
Lawrence and the Jags have been discussing a contract extension for the 2021 No. 1 overall pick as he enters his fourth NFL season.
However, while Lawrence would like to get a deal done to stay in Jacksonville for the long haul, he says contract talks are not his primary focus at this point in time.
“There’s definitely been some conversations as far as where that’s at now. It’s not really my focus,” Lawrence said. “I’d love to obviously be a Jag for as long as possible. We love it here and I love where we’re headed as an organization and feel like I’m just getting better every year, and my best ball is definitely ahead of me. So from that standpoint, obviously yeah, that would be great. But like I said, going into my fourth year, it’s not like this is necessarily going to be my last season. There’s a lot that could happen.”
“So, it’s not really my focus right now,” Lawrence continued. “At the end of the day, my job isn’t going to change whether I get extended or not before this season. My job is to go win games and to be the best I can be for this team so we can have a chance to win a Super Bowl. Even if I get the contract extension, that’s still my job even more so – there’s even more expectation and pressure on that. So for me, I have the same focus and the same mindset.”
Lawrence battled through multiple injuries in 2023 but only missed one game (the first missed game of his NFL career) this past season, when he completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 4,016 yards and 21 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. On the ground, the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder rushed for 339 yards and four scores.
A Pro Bowler in 2022, Lawrence has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 11,770 yards and 58 touchdowns with 39 interceptions over 50 career starts in his young NFL career.
Lawrence admitted “it would be nice” to have a long-term deal in place. But right now, he’s more concerned with doing his job and helping the Jags bounce back from a disappointing, 9-8 season in 2023 that saw the team lose five of its final six games and miss the playoffs — coming off a 2022 campaign when Jacksonville won the AFC South title and won a postseason game for the first time since 2017.
“I can’t lie, obviously it would be nice to have that done and feel good about it. But no, it’s not really the focus right now,” Lawrence said. “I know where we’re at, I know where we’re heading and I know what I have to do. I know there’s some improvements that I have to make going forward.”
Lawrence is heading into the final year of his four-year rookie deal, and it’s a foregone conclusion that the Jags will pick up his fifth-year option.
As for a contract extension, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke commented on that Thursday, confirming that the team and Lawrence are working on that.
Baalke was asked if he would like to reach a deal with Lawrence before the 2024 season starts.
“I try not to force anything. We’ve had some great talks, some great conversations. I spoke with his agency again last night. We’re working, but you can’t force this stuff,” Baalke said.
“We’re working at it. We’ll continue to work at it. Ownership’s involved, obviously, coaches involved,” Baalke added. “We’re gonna put our best foot forward and hope to get something accomplished here.”
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