With the offseason taking shape, trade rumors are sure to swirl – especially as the news cycle slows down at times. And with plenty of quarterback-needy teams scouring the market, that was enough to get Lawrence swept up in the discussion.
Speculation had been out there about the Jaguars potentially trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero later reported on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ that the rumor was fake.
That was still enough to get Lawrence’s attention, who addressed the situation during an appearance on the ‘Up & Adams’ show on Monday.
‘That’s funny,’ Lawrence said. ‘You know, I didn’t really see anything. My agent texted me and … said, ‘Hey, this is a report that is out there. I don’t think there’s anything to it, but I’ll check into it.’ So I saw it, and it’s funny though. Like, when he sent it to me, I was like, I wouldn’t say your heart drops, but you’re kind of like, what? And then I’m thinking about how I can’t even get – I have a no-trade clause in my contract, so I would know about it if I was getting traded, or if that was something that was gonna happen, you know, I’d have to be on board with it. Which I’m not.’
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Lawrence added that he has playoff goals to accomplish in Jacksonville and no desire to leave.
‘I’m happy here in Jacksonville,’ Lawrence said. ‘I plan on, you know, we want to win a Super Bowl here, and I think we can do that. And I don’t want to leave Jacksonville. So I’m happy here, obviously not going to Pittsburgh.’
The show’s host, Kay Adams, asked the quarterback how he received clarification on the rumor since the team doesn’t have a general manager right now.
‘I think my agent reached out to Adam Schefter and was just like, ‘Hey, did you hear anything about this?” Lawrence said.
He did hear from the team’s new head coach, Liam Coen, the following day to put the quarterback’s mind at ease.
‘Liam texted me, actually, I guess the day after it came out, and Liam said, ‘Shouldn’t even have to say this, but that’s not coming from us.” Lawrence said. ‘I was like, yeah, I figured. So we’re all good. He didn’t even have to send that. There was no doubt on my side.’
Provided he doesn’t want to leave, the Jaguars won’t have to worry about Lawrence’s future for a long time. He’s under contract through the 2030 season and owns a no-trade clause that remains in place for the duration of the deal, according to Spotrac.
Lawrence inked a five-year, $275 million extension before the 2024 season and carries a $17 million cap hit for 2025 before that spikes in the coming years.
The 2024 season was Lawrence’s worst statistically since his rookie year. He finished an injury-shortened season with a 2-8 record, a 60.6% completion rate, 11 touchdowns, seven interceptions and the highest sack rate, 5.96%, of his career.
His season was ultimately cut short thanks to a shoulder injury and a concussion that came courtesy of a big hit from the Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair, which resulted in a three-game suspension.
The former Clemson star will look to get back on track with a new coaching staff in place, especially after seeing Coen’s success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. More importantly, both sides seem to be committed to making it work.
‘Like I said, we love Jacksonville,’ Lawrence said. ‘This is home for us, and there’s a lot more on the football side that, you know, we’ve yet to accomplish here, and I’m excited about what we’re building. The future is very bright, and I want to be the guy here for a long time.’
With the trade rumors now squashed, both sides will look to keep it that way by winning more games in the future.