Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair drilled Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence as he began to slide during the second quarter of Sunday’s 23-20 win.
That’s not why the Jaguars are placing him on the second-ending injured reserve.
Third-year coach Doug Pederson told reporters Friday that Lawrence’s arrival on the reserved list is because of his lingering issue with his non-throwing, not the head injury.
“The reason for IR is not the injury from Sunday,” Pederson said. “It’s not that. It’s more the shoulder.”
Lawrence, who was ruled out with a concussion for the second half of Week 13’s game, missed two games after hurting his left shoulder during Week 9’s loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. He played through the pain while trying to mount a comeback but missed back-to-back weeks of practice.
Doug Pederson on Trevor Lawrence hitting IR:
“The reason for IR is NOT the injury from Sunday”
“It’s obviously, look, where we are in our season”
On his shoulder during Texans game:
“It didn’t get any worse. He didn’t take any shots or hits on it”#FREEAZEEZ pic.twitter.com/4Ibk6CKHNz
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) December 6, 2024
Mac Jones, who took over for Lawrence and nearly led a comeback in the fourth quarter, replaced Lawrence for the two games while the former No. 1 overall pick was recovering. He’s expected to take over for the remainder of the regular season.
Pederson said that Lawrence now plans to undergo surgery on his left shoulder, thus ending a potential return in Week 18. He also acknowledged that the concussion wasn’t mutually exclusive from the IR placement, but Lawrence would have likely missed Week 14’s matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
“The injury Sunday doesn’t help, right?” Pederson said. “But it’s just the right decision right now to go ahead and just shut him down and let him get fully healed. Clear the protocol first and then tackle the other injury later on. So that’s our main focus right now, to make sure he’s 100% and get him healthy and get himself ready for the offseason.”
Al-Shaair, who’s suspended for three games because of the hit and later ejection, apologized to Lawrence on social media Monday morning. Pederson said Lawrence’s shoulder “didn’t get any worse” because of the hit.
Doug Pederson says Lawrence is on IR for the shoulder, not the hit from Sunday.
Says with where they are in their season they wanna let him get fully healed.
— Jordan de Lugo (@jordandelugo) December 6, 2024
In 10 games, Lawrence completed 60.6% of his passes for 2,045 yards and 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Jacksonville agreed with Lawrence before the start of the 2024 season on a five-year, $275 million extension, which includes a $37.5 million signing bonus and $142 million fully guaranteed
“Where we are in our season, it’s a chance for him to get healthy right now as he looks into the offseason and next season as well.” Pederson said.
Al-Shaair, who appealed his suspension but was denied by NFLPA representative Ramon Foster, will return for the team’s season finale against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
