After working on it all offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence finally wrapped up a massive extension last week, which tied him for the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Now, Jaguars executive Tony Khan is opening up on the franchise’s excitement in keeping Lawrence around for a long, long time.
Tony Khan Thankful To Keep Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville Long-Term
The Lawrence contract conversations started as soon as the offseason began, with this being the first year he was eligible for an extension. General manager Trent Baalke first spoke on it back in January, sharing that the two sides had been in communication and were working towards a deal.
Eventually, that culminated in a five-year, $275 million deal. That’s $55 million per year, which is tied with Joe Burrow for the most annually of any quarterback or player in the NFL.
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Chief football strategy officer Tony Khan, the son of owner Shad Khan, is very excited and relieved about closing the deal.
“It’s very important for us, and it’s great news for the Jags fans and everybody in the Jaguars organization,” said Khan on the “Locked on NFL Draft” podcast.
“We got Trevor Lawrence locked into a great contract — to have a top quarterback, a top young quarterback, and somebody that is really a face of the Jaguars and we all love working with,” Khan added. “I think Trevor’s tremendous and just an absolute pleasure to work with, day in and day out.
“Everybody really respects him. He’s a great leader, he’s a great person, a great leader on and off the field. We’re very blessed to have Trevor in Jacksonville now [and] for a long time to come, too.”
For Lawrence, his career so far has been filled with ups and downs. Starting out with Urban Meyer as his head coach, Lawrence had the worst year of his career, throwing a league-lead 17 interceptions in 2021. However, in his first year under Doug Pederson, he took a step forward in 2022, leading the Jaguars to the postseason.
In 2023, though, things stayed a bit stagnant. Suffering multiple late-season injuries, Lawrence threw for fewer touchdowns and more interceptions in 2023 than in 2022. He heads into Year 4 having thrown 11,770 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions.
It is important to note that Lawrence’s 2023 disappointment wasn’t entirely his fault. On top of the injuries he suffered, his teammates didn’t help out much. According to Dan Pizzuta of The 33rd Team, Lawrence had the most EPA (Expected Points Added) lost to dropped passes in 2023.
Trevor Lawrence near miss touchdowns pic.twitter.com/3tl8vK3VT5
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) January 9, 2024
This coming season, if Lawrence can stay healthy, he has arguably the strongest supporting cast he’s had his entire career.
In addition to returning his go-to target in Christian Kirk, who’s now healthy again, the Jaguars added Gabe Davis in free agency and Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The team also returns tight end Evan Engram and running back Travis Etienne Jr.
Long story short, Lawrence could be poised for the best year of his career if he and his team can stay healthy.
Lawrence’s Contract Extension Details
Lawrence’s five-year, $275 million extension includes $200 million in guaranteed salary, $142 million of which is fully guaranteed, and a $37.5 million signing bonus.
In addition to now being tied with Burrow for the highest average annual salary, Lawrence’s total guaranteed salary ranks fourth in the NFL, and his fully guaranteed figure is now third.
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Lawrence’s record-breaking extension also includes a no-trade clause. The only other NFL players with no trade clauses are Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, and Jared Goff.
While Lawrence is receiving a massive raise on his rookie contract, his salary cap charge for this season will be low, at just $15.029 million, according to Over The Cap.
Lawrence was already under contract with the Jaguars through the 2025 season, meaning this five-year extension keeps him in Jacksonville through 2030.