The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t allowed to begin negotiations on a long-term extension with quarterback Trevor Lawrence until after the 2023 season. In the mean time, the price tag for the team’s 23-year-old passer continues to skyrocket.
On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles made Jalen Hurts the new highest paid player in NFL history with a five-year, $255 million contract.
It likely won’t be long until another young quarterback gets a deal that eclipses the one signed by Hurts, though. Among those eligible to receive a contract extension this offseason are Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. There’s also ongoing drama between the Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens, as the 2019 NFL MVP is on the hunt for a new deal.
By the time the Jaguars get a chance to talk numbers with Lawrence, the price tag for a premium quarterback extension may be in the vicinity of $55 million per year.
For now, Jacksonville has very little salary cap room to work with, and the team has had an exceptionally quiet offseason as a consequence. However, the team is currently set to have more than $52 million in space during the 2024 offseason and only two players — Christian Kirk and Travon Walker — are due to count more than $10 million against the team’s cap in 2025.
“We know what the future holds,” Pederson told The Athletic of a future Lawrence extension. “But it’s also been proven in the NFL that you can pay your quarterback and still keep a pretty good roster around your quarterback. It’s been done. We’ve got to be able to look at those models, too. I guess the beauty, too, is we’ve got the majority of our guys in long-term deals, so that will also help us when we get ready to redo Trevor in a year or so.”
Right now there’s not much the Jaguars can do except watch as the price tag for a young star under center continues to rise. But the contract signed by Hurts on Monday provides more proof that it’d be wise for Jacksonville to jump at its opportunity to sign Lawrence as soon as possible next year.
