No Player Has Signed a Richer NFL Contract

In the three seasons before Trevor Lawrence joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, six quarterbacks combined for the team to win 12 games. In the three seasons since then, the Jaguars have won 20 games with Lawrence at quarterback, ESPN reports. That's led the team and its star to agree on a five-year, $275 million contract extension. The deal ties Lawrence with the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow for the highest per-year pay in NFL history, per CBS Sports. The Jaguars evidently weren't troubled by Lawrence ending last season with an 0-5 stretch.

Jacksonville's management figures Lawrence will improve enough to have the team in the running for the Super Bowl, ESPN's Michael DiRocco writes. That's partly based on a 17-game stretch, beginning partway through 2022, in which Lawrence passed for 4,161 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He won 13 games in that period; only Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles won more, with 14. Lawrence is still improving in his team's offense, per DiRocco. Also, "He's becoming the vocal leader in the locker room, on the field, in meetings," said head coach Doug Pederson. "He's engaging." (A Minnesota player is the highest-paid non-quarterback ever.)