Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed the season’s closing 5 video games after he was shut down so he might bear shoulder surgical procedure and, thus, could not forestall the firing of head coach Doug Pederson from taking place after Week 18.
Lawrence spoke with media members on Thursday and hinted he and others within the locker room let Pederson down.
“You perceive it is a part of the enterprise, however you are additionally disenchanted and
you really feel some duty as a result of as a participant you’ve got affect on the sport. It is on us as properly,” Lawrence defined, Sports activities Illustrated’s Tom Dierberger shared. “It is unlucky, is the easiest way to place it, simply since you really feel such as you want you could possibly’ve performed extra and gained extra video games.”
Pederson initially appeared considerably of a savior for Lawrence, the primary total decide of the 2021 draft who endured a rocky rookie season throughout City Meyer’s temporary tenure as Jacksonville’s coach. Pederson and Lawrence guided the 2022 Jaguars to a division title and to an epic come-from-behind wild-card playoff victory. The Jaguars then have been 8-3 heading into Week 13 of the 2023 marketing campaign however in the end suffered a surprising collapse that continued by way of this previous weekend.
In complete, Jacksonville went 5-18 over its closing 23 video games beneath Pederson as Lawrence noticeably regressed earlier than his newest harm setbacks. Earlier this week, former NFL operating again and two-time Tremendous Bowl champion LeSean McCoy seemed to blame Lawrence for Pederson shedding his job.
“Should you requested any of us going into the season,” Lawrence added on Thursday, “nobody would’ve thought coach Pederson would’ve been fired on the finish of the yr. And also you simply see the best way the yr went, and it is simply disappointing. I believe it is a bizarre feeling however you do perceive it is a part of the enterprise. You need to proceed to get higher, and for no matter motive this yr we did not try this. … I believe there’s lots of issues in play relating to that, and it isn’t simply all on one individual.”
Lawrence signed a five-year contract extension price as much as $275M final offseason, so he ought to have some say within the Jaguars’ seek for Pederson’s substitute. Latest stories have linked Jacksonville with big-name candidates equivalent to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, because it’s believed such coaches suppose they’ll flip Lawrence into an elite signal-caller.
Sooner or later, Lawrence should begin proving such believers proper past occasional profitable streaks to be definitely worth the cash he obtained in June 2024. If he does not, he might turn into one of many greatest “what went unsuitable?” tales in NFL historical past, contemplating all that was said about him earlier than the 2021 draft.
