Trevor Lawrence’s $275 Million Paycheck Makes Shannon Sharpe Accept QB Money Hits Different

Trevor Lawrence just signed a life-changing $275 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While this contract was anticipated, it has still divided some sections of the media, with the majority believing the deal is based on promise rather than production. However, there are also those who were quite happy to see the ceiling of NFL salaries go up and up, including, as it turns out, Shannon Sharpe.

On the latest episode of ‘Nightcap’, Unc and Ocho dove deep into Lawrence’s massive deal, which comes with $142 million in guaranteed money. The former tight end quipped upon reading the outline of the Jags’ contract with Lawrence, “A quarterback money different, ain’t it?” to which Chad Johnson agreed wholeheartedly.

Even with the Justin Jefferson contract bringing a new dawn to non-quarterback contracts, the duo also noted that the difference between QB and non-QB remains starkly different.

Consequently, Sharpe reminded Ocho of how they were celebrating the Jefferson contract, and just a few days later, here comes Lawrence’s deal with more guaranteed money on signing ($37.5 million) than Jefferson’s yearly payout ($35 million).

 

Thus, an average quarterback’s earnings start where the other positional stars’ potential earnings are maximized. And both Sharpe and Johnson are well aware that it is only going to keep increasing from here.

Sharpe even went on to predict that within the next 6-7 years, someone from the quarterback group is going to be offered a $500 million contract. And with the way things are going, it might not be that late.

Lawrence is in a unique position with his deal. He has not yet shown any success or carried the team for a whole season to warrant such a deal. It was purely on the basis of his talent potential and the asking rate of the QB market.

Therefore, how this mammoth of a contact impacts other franchise QBs will be interesting to see, with the two crucial names on that list being Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love.

Sharpe Predicts Impact of Trevor Lawrence Deal on Other QBs

Later on, Sharpe posed a question to Ocho: “If they’re giving this kind of money to Trevor Lawrence, what’s Patrick Mahomes worth?” In response, the former NFL wideout predicted what the Chiefs would do: get the money from Mahomes’ later years and start paying him in bonuses every year, making the deal bottom-heavy and top-loaded.

But Sharpe argued that Mahomes is over it. He’s a rabbit chasing a carrot now. And that carrot is Tom Brady’s accolades. Mahomes has been on record several times, lauding Brady for what he achieved but showcasing his intent to do it better. And he is on the path to getting it done.

However, the one page that he must take from Brady’s successful dynasty playbook is the ability to sign more and more team-friendly deals despite what the QB market might dictate.

With the way things unfold for the GOATs off the field, the top talents in the league have understood that it is way more beneficial to play the long game and become the best to ever do it. And Mahomes’ journey has already begun. However, one QB who might really be affected by Lawrence’s deal is Jordan Love. Sharpe believes that Love will be asking for a similar deal.

With an outstanding performance in his first starting year, Love has taken the baton in Green Bay. Thus, the team will be more than willing to satisfy his monetary expectations with a hefty contract. Tua Tagovailoa will also be considering the Lawrence deal when negotiating his extension, and let’s not forget about the gambling man, Dak Prescott. Safe to say, the domino effect is in full effect amongst the NFL QBs.