2021 comparison of Chicago Bears Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence

Despite controversy surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence showed flashes of being great.

Prior to the 2021 NFL Draft, the worst kept secret in the league was that the Jacksonville Jaguars would be selecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall selection. In the months leading up to the draft, the Jaguars were ensuring that everything was in place in order for Lawrence to succeed. The biggest piece that the Jaguars believed they had put in place was at the head coach position as they hired former Ohio State University head coach Urban Meyer to a seven-year contract.

The Meyer-Lawrence pairing is a pairing that the Jaguars believed would lead the team back to relevancy. The Jaguars were indeed relevant during the 2021 season but for all the wrong reasons. Controversy suffocated Meyer’s first season as the head coach of the Jaguars and that ultimately led to his hiring firing in December after a report surfaced that the head coach kicked a player during practice.

Given the drama that surrounded the Jaguars, it is no wonder that Lawrence’s rookie season was inconsistent at best. Lawrence started all 17 games for the Jaguars last season and compiled 3,641 yards and 12 touchdowns and 59.6 completion percentage. Lawrence also had 334 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns during his rookie season.

Where Lawrence did struggle was in the turnover department. Lawrence threw 17 interceptions last season and had 9 fumbles (7 fumbles lost). With Meyer no longer with the team and Doug Pederson now in place, the expectation is that Lawrence will have a clean slate in year 2.