Trevor Lawrence to Jaguars: Projecting No. 1 Pick's Contract with Jacksonville

Being a quarterback who is the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL draft means a few things. 

It means the hopes of an entire fanbase rest on your shoulders. It means anything less than multiple Pro Bowls and eventually a run at a Super Bowl will be considered a failure to live up to expectations.

And it also means you're going to get paid.

That is the reality for Trevor Lawrence, who was the first name off the board at Thursday's 2021 NFL draft when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him with the No. 1 pick. It is a new era in Jacksonville with head coach Urban Meyer, and the team now has its quarterback of the future.

The first step will be signing his rookie contract, and Spotrac estimated the total value for the No. 1 pick will be $36.8 million with a $24.1 million signing bonus and a $6.9 million cap hit for the 2021 campaign.

If Lawrence lives up to expectations as a potential franchise savior, he will surely sign future contract extensions that dwarf his rookie deal. That means the pressure is on Meyer and the Jaguars to complete a quick rebuild after the team finished in last place in the AFC South in each of the last three years and 1-15 in 2020.

The Clemson product is the biggest key to that, and he showed little reason to doubt him during his collegiate career.

Lawrence won a national championship and reached two more College Football Playoffs in his three years as a starter. He was the 2020 Heisman Trophy runner-up and finished his career with 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions through the air to go with 943 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.

Look for Meyer to utilize his new quarterback's dual-threat abilities based on the offenses the head coach ran in college.

If the coach and quarterback pairing works out as Jacksonville surely expects, the Jaguars will be back among the AFC contenders at some point during Lawrence's rookie contract.