Doug Pederson: ‘We have the right leader in Trevor Lawrence’

The Jacksonville Jaguars will head into the 2023 offseason hunting for roster tweaks and upgrades to set up a run at another AFC South title. The good news for the Jaguars is that they already did the hard part: they secured a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence.

“I feel like we are close. Obviously, we have the right leader in Trevor,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Sunday night. “I feel really good about him obviously. What he has done and how he has played this season.

“I have said this before that the success of your football team relies on the quarterback. You have to get that piece and that player right. I feel personally in Jacksonville that we have that person right. He is just going to get better. He is going to learn from this.”

Lawrence, 23, made a massive statistical leap in his second NFL season, finishing the 2022 regular season with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. It was arguably the best year a Jaguars quarterback has ever had and his 95.2 passer rating was up a staggering 23.3 points from his 71.9 rating as a rookie.

While he threw five interceptions in the Jaguars’ two playoff games, Lawrence also threw five touchdowns, leading the team to a comeback win against the Los Angeles Chargers and mostly keeping Jacksonville close against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now the Jaguars enter 2023 with the rare gift of a high-level franchise quarterback still on a rookie contract. Lawrence is due to count just $10.03 million against the team’s salary cap in 2023 and isn’t allowed to negotiate a long-term extension with the Jaguars until the 2024 offseason.

The future is bright in Jacksonville as long as Lawrence is the one under center.