Fair or not, Trevor Lawrence has plenty to prove in 2025. Sure, the Jacksonville Jaguars failed to put him in a position to succeed in previous years, but such are the expectations that come with playing quarterback and being the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Working in his favor is that the new regime has done plenty in the offseason to help him, and No. 16 is in a prime position to bounce back. Just recently, an NFL analyst took a look at how things could potentially play out.
Henry McKenna of Fox Sports drew up the best and worst-case scenarios for each AFC South quarterback and believes that Lawrence has no excuse not to live up to expectations, citing the presence of Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter as a big reason.
"It's not just that we all expect Thomas and Hunter to be electric. It's that we expected Lawrence to be electric," McKenna wrote. "Given that he was a generational college prospect, I thought he'd have a playoff win by now — or, at least, more than one playoff appearance. Lawrence has been mediocre (and sometimes worse than that) over the past few years. But the expectations only make things worse."
McKenna continued, "Now, with Thomas looking like one of the NFL's best young receivers and Hunter having the potential to be the league's best WR2, Lawrence will yet again have to stare down big expectations."
If you didn't notice, something stood out, and not for the right reason. McKenna says that Lawrence has yet to suit up for more than one playoff game or win one, but both claims are inaccurate. He and the Jags rallied from a 27-point deficit to upset the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round of the 2022 postseason. They faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, marking his second playoff appearance.
Now, you could make the case that Lawrence has failed to live up to expectations, but you cannot say that he's not played more than two postseason games or won at least one when he's done both.
On the other hand, McKenna says that Hunter could lift Lawrence if he's off to a strong start to his rookie campaign. And that's another thing, it could also be the other way around. Throughout his career, the fifth-year quarterback has routinely helped players hit hits stride. With him throwing passes, Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones set new career bests catching passes from him.
Now, there's no denying that Hunter is a unique talent, but you're selling Lawrence short if you argue he'll be the reason he'll bounce back, especially when you take into account that he's (at times) played at an elite level.
A more accurate statement would be that Hunter and Lawrence will make each other better.
Travis Hunter will help Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars but another issue remains
As improved as the wide receiver corps is, that won't be the sole reason Trevor Lawrence is in a position to bounce back. Liam Coen's system and the emphasis on running the ball should help. Having said that, his biggest roadblock to taking his play to the next level isn't scheme or talent-related.
Lawrence has dealt with a myriad of ailments the past two years. While it's great to hear that he's honing his fundamentals, the biggest thing that will lead him to success is staying healthy, something he's struggled to do. If the Knoxville, Tennessee native manages to avoid the injury bug, nothing will stop him from putting it all together.
In fact, a trip to the playoffs and even a win shouldn't be ruled out if Lawrence does play like he did back in 2022. The pieces are most definitely there.
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