Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the first pre-season guest on Sky Sports' Inside The Huddle NFL podcast; the new NFL season gets under way on Sky Sports on Friday September 6 as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens from Midnight
Tuesday 27 August 2024 14:21, UK
Trevor Lawrence starts the upcoming NFL season with a five-year, $275m contract extension in his back pocket.
The extension to the 24-year-old's rookie deal, which begins in 2026, is the biggest contract in Jacksonville Jaguars franchise history and the $142m of it which is guaranteed money is the third-largest amount in NFL history.
But the quarterback, heading into his fourth season in Duval County after being drafted in 2021 as the player anointed to lead the Jags to a first Vince Lombardi Trophy, insists he will be exactly the same person as before.
"I don't change at all, it's just a number," Lawrence told Sky Sports' Inside The Huddle podcast. "Obviously, it's very exciting and I'm very grateful to be in this position to take care of my family and hopefully do a lot of good with it in the future.
"That's awesome and it feels really good to have the stability of that five-year extension, but it's not going to change who I am, I'm the same guy.
"I've got to be the same guy - I've got to lead the same way. I've never liked when guys get a big contract and change their personality.
"I've not seen it often, but you see and hear about guys doing that in the past. That's never going to be me and it's not going to change who I am."
What Lawrence does want to change, however, is Jacksonville's lack of consistency, particularly after a 2023/24 campaign which saw them miss out on the playoffs in agonising fashion after a defeat to AFC South rivals Tennessee Titans in their final regular-season game.
Having gone 9-8 the previous year and reached the divisional round of the playoffs, going on an incredible run after a 3-7 start, the Jags failed to improve on that after a second-placed finish in their division as their form collapsed in the second half of the year - not helped by injuries.
It still marked a vast improvement from Lawrence's first year in the NFL, when the team were a dismal 3-14, but he is in no doubt this year's Jaguars squad has more talent at its disposal than ever before and does not hide behind injuries as an excuse for that drop-off in performances.
"I think we've shown the team we can be and we're a more talented team," Lawrence said. "When things are clicking, when we're healthy, we're a really good team who can beat anybody, but we have to maintain that throughout the whole year and get better.
"Last year was kind of the opposite [to 2022]. We started pretty good and finished poorly, and you never want that.
"We've got to find the balance and figure out how to be consistent through a season but get better every week."
Lawrence knows there is a weight of expectation on his shoulders as the Jaugars enter the franchise's 30th anniversary season, although it is something he has been used to dealing with ever since his days starring for the Clemson Tigers in college football.
As with most newcomers to the professional ranks, adjusting to the NFL has been a steep learning curve and Lawrence is determined to make the most of everything he has experienced so far, be it good or bad.
"In college, we were the better team almost every week and games didn't usually come down to the end of the game," Lawrence said.
"But in the NFL, every week you're playing against a team just as talented...and it's razor-thin, the margin.
"The situational aspect of football has taken me some time to learn and there are some many different situations which happen.
"Sometimes experience is the best teacher and you want to say 'I'd love to figure this out before it happens', but it's impossible to figure everything out."
Watch the new NFL season live on Sky Sports, starting with reigning Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens from Midnight on Friday September 6. Also stream with NOW.
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