Of the five quarterbacks selected in the top 15 of the 2021 draft, only one hasn’t been traded for a third-day pick.
But when will the Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence strike a deal to keep him there long-term?
Time is only cheap if the quarterback suffers a career-altering injury or loses his fastball. Usually, the longer you wait, the more expensive it will be. The main reason is because other quarterback deals continue to push the price higher and higher. Not to mention the ever-increasing salary cap.
Last weekend, ESPN predicted the final value of Lawrence’s contract extension to be more than $50 million annually. In a sense, this makes sense given the market. The real question is whether Lawrence can wait a year and get that number to $60 million.
That’s the other side of this. Waiting doesn’t come cheap for the team. For players, time is on their side if they have the will to not pick up the bird.
Therefore, the team must add as large a bird as possible to the player’s hand. Make him an offer he can’t refuse. Even if a few years from now his performance and continued market growth derail everything, you can deal with it. But at least he’ll be locked up at a favorable rate until that time comes.
Lawrence will earn $5.6 million this year. His fifth-year option is worth just $25.6 million, nearly $30 million below his highest market price. If the Jaguars offered a Jared Goff package right now, how could Lawrence say no?
The clock is ticking. Prices are rising. It doesn’t get cheaper.
And yes, Lawrence knows that. But it’s another thing for him to say nothing and say, “I’ll wait.” It’s quite another to say “no thank you” when there’s a huge amount of money on the table smiling at you.