Where Does Trevor Lawrence Rank Among NFL Starting QBs After Disastrous Start?

Months after he became one of the highest-paid players in the history of professional sports, Trevor Lawrence isn't giving the Jacksonville Jaguars much of a return on their five-year, $275 million investment.

Three weeks into the 2024 NFL season, Lawrence has completed just 53 percent of his passes for a Jaguars team that is 0-3 and has averaged just 13.3 points per game.

With a trip to Houston on deck, this is becoming a nightmare situation for the 2021 No. 1 overall pick on the brink of his 25th birthday, and a Jags squad that has now lost eight of its last nine games and has scored more than 20 points just once in its last seven outings.

Injuries and defensive struggles are a factor as well in Jacksonville, but the fact remains Lawrence simply hasn't been consistently productive for much of his career and, statistically speaking, he's playing some of the worst football of his career right now.

So, where does Lawrence rank among the league's starting quarterbacks? Let's run through it.

The Replaceables

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CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 22: Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants looks on against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on September 22, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Guys who should be viewed as placeholders or something along those lines.

32. Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots: Few would claim that the 31-year-old is a starting-caliber quarterback. He's a bridge to Drake Maye, and the numbers and performances make that obvious.

31. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans: Make that five interceptions in three games for a sophomore who has thrown just six touchdown passes in eight games since a flashy four-game start to his career in Tennessee. He's running out of rope.

30. Daniel Jones, New York Giants: He's rebounded a tad the last couple weeks, and Malik Nabers could very well save him, but a body of work with no more than 15 touchdown passes in a single season since he was a rookie in 2019 speaks for itself right now.

29. Gardner Minshew II, Las Vegas Raiders: He was good in place of Anthony Richardson last year in Indianapolis but has not delivered to satisfaction in Las Vegas and seems unlikely to hold onto that starting job all year.

28. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers: Good start, but he's still Andy Dalton. He of a career 87.8 passer rating who last made a sustained and significant impact on the NFL in around 2017. At 36, we know this is temporary.

The Young Bucks

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CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 23: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders scrambles in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on September 23, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Too early to call them busts but haven't done close to enough to be anointed.

27. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos: The rookie No. 12 overall pick is still seeking his first NFL touchdown pass.

26. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: After an injury cost the still-raw 2023 No. 4 overall pick most of his rookie campaign, he opened this season with a league-high six interceptions in three games.

25. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears: The talent is there, as is the support. The numbers are not. But it's still his first month.

24. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders: His ceiling might not be as high as Williams', but there's no doubt that he lit it up Monday night.

The Underachievers

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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars warms up prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 23, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

Veterans not living up the the hype or the money.

23. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: The support has been pathetic, but the fact remains Watson hasn't delivered even remotely since he was in Houston in 2020. His career as a starter would likely already be over if not for that contract.

22. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: He's been pressured on just 17.3 percent of his dropbacks but has the lowest on-target rate in the NFL. What the hell is going on? Lawrence has now completed just 57 percent of his passes with a 74.5 passer rating in his last seven games. At some point, you have to start wondering about the B word. Regardless, for now, we've got him in the bottom dozen.

21. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: Injuries have been a factor, but he hasn't consistently been a high-impact player since 2022. The regression may be real.

The Overachievers

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TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 22: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Veterans exceeding expectations.

20. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks: The consistency just isn't there. Not only season to season, but game to game this year. Still, let's keep in mind he was in a football graveyard just a few years ago and still has solid numbers right now for an unbeaten team.

19. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers: It might not hold up, but he's off to a stellar start in Pittsburgh, and let's not forget this is a 25-year-old who was a No. 11 overall pick just three years ago.

18. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings: It might not hold up, but he's off to a stellar start in Minnesota, and let's not forget this is a 27-year-old who was a No. 3 overall pick just half a dozen years ago.

17. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints: I'm getting Rich Gannon vibes from the league's third-highest-rated passer, even if 2023 was pretty ugly. He's always been at least middle of the pack.

16. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Another late-bloomer (take note, Panthers), the 29-year-old former top pick has a 111.0 passer rating going back seven games to mid-December 2023.

The Second Tier

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CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 23: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals drops back to pass against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game at Paycor Stadium on September 23, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Elite capabilities, but the delivery hasn't been there.

15. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: It hasn't come together yet in Atlanta, and it's not as though he was carrying the Vikings deep into the playoffs very often. He's average with the ability to exceed that in spurts.

14. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: Superstar athletic ability and talent and a resume with legit NFL accolades. He's also on track right now, but he hasn't been consistently reliable since 2021.

13. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets: Also hasn't been consistently reliable since 2021, but he has more accolades, and there are hints that he might have one more standout season in him. This campaign really could go either way for the 40-year-old.

12. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: He's living off one hot half-season, and that's why Love remains out of the top 10. The upside is there, and at least he's now delivered for an extended stretch.

11. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: Huge question marks regarding health and (less importantly) a lack of clutch play surround a quarterback who led the NFL in passer rating between the start of 2022 and the end of 2023.

10. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: He's clearly falling off at age 36, but less support is a factor, and the fact remains he was a stud in 2021 and put up strong rate-based numbers in 2023.

9. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: He has top-10 numbers pretty much across the board since 2022 and the Lions have obviously emerged. Still, it's hard to completely trust him based on his Rams days, and he's off to a troubling start in 2024.

8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: Dude was a legit MVP candidate in 2022, but that's looking more and more like an aberration. In his last 11 games, he has 11 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. Still, his huge impact as a rusher helps.

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: His 2023 campaign truly was fantastic on paper and otherwise, but he and the Cowboys again fell short when it mattered and he and the team are off to a shaky start in '24.

6. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: Sophomore slump? His production is way down early this season, but he still gets a ton of credit here for one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history.

5. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: No question his ceiling is elite, but he needs to remain healthy more often than he has.

4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: Still don't know if I trust him when it matters, but the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft is the highest-rated passer in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 500 attempts.

The Elites

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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills talks to a reporter after a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Highmark Stadium on September 23, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

Megastars.

3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: A two-time MVP at age 27, he's coming off a mega win in Dallas.

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: The Approximate Value metric at Pro Football Reference registers Allen as the most valuable player in the NFL since the start of 2021. He leads the NFL in both passer rating and QBR in what might finally be his first MVP campaign.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: I don't care if he's off to a bit of a slow start this year. We're talking about a two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP at the age of 29.