Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is going to become a virtual bank in the coming years.
On Thursday, he scored a five-year, $275 million contract extension that will make him the richest player in the NFL in terms of annual salary along with Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.
But it gets even better than that, as Jonathan Jones noted on Twitter.
Lawrence will receive over $82 million in cash during the first year of his extension, and he will also have a no-trade clause.
Some would say Lawrence isn’t a true star QB and that he doesn’t deserve such a large contract that will pay him just as much as Burrow, but that is simply the reality of the booming NFL market these days.
Late in the 2022 season, when he finished with a flurry and got named to the Pro Bowl, it looked like perhaps he was on his way to becoming a true star.
After a shaky start to that season and a rough rookie campaign in 2021, Lawrence threw for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions in the last nine games of the 2022 season.
He then led Jacksonville to a comeback win in the playoffs over the Los Angeles Chargers after they trailed, 27-0, by throwing four touchdown passes starting late in the second quarter.
Jacksonville doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to being a Super Bowl contender right now, but they do have some key foundational pieces in place, and the 24-year-old Lawrence is the most important of those pieces.
