Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence Signs 5-Year Extension; Now Highest Paid Player in NFL History

Trevor Lawrence, the star quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has agreed to sign a five-year extension with the team for a stunning $275 million. It makes him the highest paid player per season in the history of the National Football League, and keeps him in Duval County through the 2028-29 season.

The historic contract agreed to by the Jags and Lawrence is tied with an identical one signed by Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow to make both players the most well-compensated the NFL has ever seen. Lawrence will be paid $55 million per year on average, receiving $142 million of his contract at the time of signing. He’s now the first player in franchise history to receive a contract over $200 million in value.

Lawrence’s Contract in History

Lawrence is now one of six NFL quarterbacks receiving over $50 million a year, joining Burrow, the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff, the L.A. Chargers’ Justin Herbert, the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts. The news of his historic extension was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Beyond just the NFL, Lawrence’s new contract is tied for the 25th largest in the history of sports, alongside Burrow and Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year extension with the New York Yankees in 2008. The two dozen contracts above Lawrence’s are a mixture of baseball, soccer, boxing, basketball, NFL and Formula 1 athletes. Lawrence was set to have a fifth-year option in the 2025-26 season for a $25.7 million payout, but is now set to eclipse that easily.

Jacksonville’s Franchise QB

Since being selected first overall by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has quickly established himself as one of the most dominant players in franchise history, and the first quarterback in years seen as having the potential to bring the Jaguars a Vince Lombardi Trophy. He put up a 71.9 quarterback rating in his rookie season, followed by a stellar 95.2 rating in the 2022-23 season. That year Lawrence competed in the playoffs for the first time, beating the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Lawrence’s Jaguars missed the playoffs in the 2023-24 season after losing five of their last six regular season games, falling well short of lofty preseason expectations. Part of that letdown is attributed to an injury sustained by Lawrence in Week 13 against the Bengals, one which he largely played through. They finished 9-8, second in the AFC South division behind the Houston Texans.