With Trevor Lawrence in the fold, the Jacksonville Jaguars don't have to worry about the quarterback position. Granted, he's been inconsistent in the past and is entering what amounts to be a make-or-break season. Having said that, quarterbacks don't grow in trees, which begs the question: Would the Jags ditch him if they had the chance? An NFL analyst believes they most definitely would.
Chad Reuter of NFL Media did a win-now mock draft in which teams can pick any player currently on a roster and had Jacksonville taking Justin Herbert fifth overall, noting that his efficiency and strong arm would be welcomed with arms wide open. Below's the skinny.
"Jacksonville would undoubtedly love to have the efficient and strong-armed Herbert in town," Reuter wrote. "I know he passed for less than 4,000 yards in 2024, but he also threw just three interceptions."
With the Atlanta Falcons picking Kyler Murray at No. 15, Trevor Lawrence went to the Arizona Cardinals one pick later. Here's what Reuter had to say.
"Lawrence has not yet met the lofty expectations that followed him into the league, but the Cardinals take a chance in case he plays to his potential in 2025."
And that pretty much sums up Lawrence's stint in Duval: Lots of untapped potential that hasn't turned into consistent production on the football field for one reason or another. In his defense, the Jaguars didn't do enough to help him in the past years. On the other hand, No. 16 hasn't been able to stay healthy, which has, in turn, prevented him from building consistency.
Meanwhile, Herbert has turned the Los Angeles Chargers into a perennial contender despite the fact that he had Brandon Staley as a head coach throughout most of his career, and the Bolts haven't always given him weapons.
Was Staley worse than Urban Meyer, Lawrence's coach in his rookie season? Probably not, but he wasn't the second coming of Vince Lombardi either, and he most definitely failed to get the most out of Herbert.
Now, you could make the case that Lawrence already beat Herbert twice and even helped the Jags rally from a 27-point deficit to beat Los Angeles in the 2022 playoffs. Having said that, Herbert has been the more consistent of the two and routinely lands in the top 10 of most quarterback rankings, unlike his Jaguars counterpart.
The good news is that Lawrence can narrow down the gap if he manages to stay healthy next season and play like he did when he helped Jacksonville advance to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2022.
The Jaguars wouldn't change Trevor Lawrence for Justin Herbert, but he must play better
There's no doubt that pressure is mounting on Trevor Lawrence to deliver. The Jacksonville Jaguars surely want to see a return on the monster extension they gave him in 2024. To make it happen, the team's brass allocated lots of resources to his supporting cast.
Behind a beefed-up offensive line and with a better arsenal of weapons, Lawrence has a legitimate shot to break out in 2025. If he does it, he'll be discussed in the same breath as Justin Herbert. But if he comes up short, questions about his future in Jacksonville will arise.
And that's the thing, whether you think Justin Herbert has underachieved, there's no chatter about the Los Angeles thinking about replacing him. Sure, Lawrence isn't precisely on the hot seat, and there's no speculation that the Jaguars are already contemplating other options behind center, but opinions about him are most definitely split. That wouldn't be the case if he had delivered the past two years.
Fortunately, Trevor Lawrence will have the chance to change the narrative, and if he does, the Jaguars won't skip him in any other win-now mock draft.
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