It’s no secret that the Jacksonville Jaguars have long been synonymous with mediocrity. In fact, they are among the 12 NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl. As depressing as this stat is for their fans, it also impacts the perception of some highly talented players on their roster—mainly Trevor Lawrence.
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Today, many view Lawrence as a QB who doesn’t move the needle. But, he rightly feels otherwise, given that the QB has yet to have stable coaching guidance in his NFL stint so far. Since being drafted by the Jaguars as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has seen this head coaching merry-go-round transpire in front of him from Urban Meyer in 2021 to interim coach Darrell Bevell and Doug Pederson for the last 2 years.
The situation unfortunately has been even more dire in the play-calling department — Darrell Bevell [2021], Press Taylor [2022-2024], Nick Holz [2023 passing game Coordinator], and current OC Grant Udinski.
Despite this instability, the fact that Lawrence managed to lead the Jaguars to a rare playoff appearance and defeat the Chargers in the Wild Card Round, while also earning a Pro Bowl nod is truly incredible.
So, it wasn’t surprising when the Jaguars QB admitted he wasn’t a fan of the instability around him. However, he chose to stay positive, revealing that his experiences so far have better prepared him to face adversity in life.
“I’ve had a very crazy journey…a lot of different coaches and staff so far in my career and I think my rookie year was so wild that it helped me prepare me for when things do change or some adversity happens. Obviously, I’d love for things to stay consistent and be stable from here on out — know that’s the goal,” Lawrence told Kay Adams.
Truth be told, the Jaguars QB has been far too kind and modest with his statement. In the last four years, the only time he found stability in Jacksonville under Doug Pederson, he led the team to a Wild Card win before losing to the eventual champs—the Chiefs—in the Divisional Round.
That said, Lawrence remains optimistic about his future now that the Jaguars’ coaching setup has changed, with Liam Coen stepping in as the new head man. With Udinski as his OC, the QB has an exciting play-caller to work with as he looks to climb back to the top after an injury-marred season last year.
“I like everything we have in place so far, especially what Coach Coen and the whole staff that he’s brought in so far. So I’m really excited and optimistic about the future. As far as the learnings from the past, I think just trying to continue to learn and get better every year, you know… just don’t let those experiences go to waste.”
Trevor Lawrence’s resilience and ability to adapt have kept the Jaguars competitive in recent years. In return, his fans are surely hoping that the newly anointed Coen-Udinski partnership works its charm. Because the longer this instability continues, more teams—like the Steelers—will line up outside Jacksonville for Lawrence’s signature. And the Jaguars will say no.
