Former NFL OC Rips Trevor Lawrence: QB 'Does Not Play the Game with a Passion'

The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten off to a rough start in the 2024 season, with an 0-3 start, and that has highly paid quarterback Trevor Lawrence coming under fire.

"[Lawrence] does not play the game with a passion... when first drafted by the Jags, he did mention that football was not his priority in life, and despite that generous, and undeserved, second contract, he definitely plays like football is not a priority," a former NFL offensive coordinator emailed Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "[H]is play does not parallel his skill set, don't see the leadership, the emotion, the excitement, and going through the motions and taking the weekly check are disservices to his teammates, the organization and the fans."

Lawrence's exact comments back in 2021, however, were slightly different than portrayed by the former offensive coordinator:

"It's not like I need this for my life to be OK. I want to do it because I want to be the best I can be. I want to maximize my potential. Who wouldn't want to? You kind of waste it if you don't... It's hard to explain that because I want people to know that I'm passionate about what I do and it's really important to me, but... I don't have this huge chip on my shoulder, that everyone's out to get me and I'm trying to prove everybody wrong. I just don't have that. I can't manufacture that. I don't want to... I think that's unhealthy to a certain extent, just always thinking that you've got to prove somebody wrong, you've got to do more, you've got to be better."

He would later even further clarify those comments:

That doesn't change the fact that Lawrence's play has not lived up to his billing as the former top overall pick and a player who was given a five-year, $275 million contract. This season, he's thrown for 560 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, taking 11 sacks already while completing just 52.8 percent of his passes.

After being a Pro Bowler in 2022, Lawrence responded last season with 21 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions, a mediocre ratio. And since leading the Jags to the postseason in 2022, he's just 8-11 as the starter.

It's hard to pin that on a lack of motivation or passion for the game without being inside the Jacksonville facilities. Whatever the cause, however, it surely has folks in Jacksonville worried about Lawrence's future as well as the team's.