Trevor Lawrence did just enough to get paid…
while the NBA + NHL Finals are falling short in our eyes.
Lawrence Secures Jag Bag
What Happened: Boy, does it pay to be a maybe slightly above-average quarterback in the NFL these days. A career path we perhaps overlooked?
QB Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed on a 5-year, $275 million extension, and yes, we know it won’t pay exactly that amount. Spare us the salary cap lesson, it’s Friday.
Since being taken first overall in the 2021 draft, Lawrence has been…fine? Jacksonville has gone 21-30 with one playoff appearance and one win during that stretch. And fine, you can throw out the Urban Meyer season if you wish. Hard to count that against Lawrence.
Why It Matters: This deal gives Lawrence the highest average salary in the NFL ($55 mil), tying him with Cincy’s Joe Burrow.
Now here’s a question: is Lawrence the best QB in his own division?
C.J. Stroud just had an amazing rookie season for the Houston Texans and should only get better from here. In his rookie season, he threw for more yards than Lawrence did in two of his three seasons, nearly topped Lawrence’s career high in touchdown passes, and threw just five interceptions. Lawrence has never had a season with fewer than eight picks.
Perhaps that, in addition to a stacked wide receiver group, is why the Texans at +105 (FanDuel) are favorites to win the AFC South, while the Jags are just +270.
If Lawrence has more growth to his game, the Jags will be happy to pay him what he’s worth. But without that step up, that’s a lot of moolah for not much more than mediocrity.
How We’re Feeling Today
Bored by yet another finals series. First the NBA, now the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers got washed at home last night (the Florida Panthers won 4-3, but only after building a 4-1 lead) and now Florida is one game away from getting their hands on sports’ best trophy.
If the Boston Celtics complete a sweep tonight of the Dallas Mavericks, and the Panthers can close out the Oilers tomorrow, us sports fans will have been provided the absolute bare minimum of games to watch two seasons end within a day of one another.
Good luck getting psyched for MLB action in June. So where does that leave us? Waiting for NFL training camp? Olympics? Buckle up folks, things are gonna get bleak before they get better.
The Look Ahead
Brayan Bello STRIKEOUTS – Bello has a modest line for his start tonight (4.5 strikeouts) against the AL East-rival New York Yankees. Although the righty generated just two strikeouts against the White Sox his last time out, he had struck out 5+ in his previous three outings, including a 7-K night against the free-swinging Orioles. Speaking of free-swinging, the Yanks are coming off a series against the Dodgers in which they whiffed double-digit times twice, then had four games of 5+ strikeouts as a team against the Royals. Bello is no strikeout machine, but this Yankees’ lineup could push him past his over tonight anyway.
