Doug Pederson: ‘You can pay your QB and still keep a good roster’
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a bargain right now, but that won’t last long.
The 23-year-old Pro Bowler is due to count just over $10 million against the Jaguars’ salary cap in 2023. The Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys will each be giving up about $50 million worth of cap space for their quarterbacks.
Lawrence is eligible to sign an extension with the Jaguars after the 2024 season, and it’ll undoubtedly be the largest ever for the franchise by a massive margin. But head coach Doug Pederson isn’t too worried about it.
“We know what the future holds,” Pederson told Jeff Howe of The Athletic. “But it’s also been proven in the NFL that you can pay your quarterback and still keep a pretty good roster around your quarterback. It’s been done. We’ve got to be able to look at those models, too. I guess the beauty, too, is we’ve got the majority of our guys in long-term deals, so that will also help us when we get ready to redo Trevor in a year or so.”
The exact price tag for Lawrence will likely depend heavily on how Lamar Jackson’s situation with the Baltimore Ravens shakes out along with the potential extensions on the way for the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert.
Lawrence finished his second NFL season with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions, more than doubling his rookie season touchdown total while halving his interceptions.
