The Jacksonville Jaguars just handed Trevor Lawrence one of the largest contracts in NFL history even though he’s only won one NFL playoff game.
Lawrence’s contract starts in 2026 and is worth $275 million over five years. While the $275 million total number is trumped by the $503 million over 10 years that Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes has received, Lawrence’s contract’s $55 million annual number is tied with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for the largest average annual salary.
Lawrence was the No. 1 pick in 2021 and has had an up-and-down start to his career, in part due to injuries. While he has impressed, particularly two seasons ago when he led the Jaguars to the Divisional Round, his place among the NFL’s top quarterbacks is in question.
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That’s different from Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who is widely considered one of the best receivers in the game. Jefferson signed an extension with the Vikings earlier this month for $140 million over four years, which is $35 million annually.
The difference in the final numbers between Jefferson and Lawrence illustrates the difference in market value between positions in the NFL, particularly with how much more money teams allocate to their quarterbacks.
That’s created a dilemma for NFL teams regarding allocating their funds, with some owners questioning the current structure.
Some NFL owners have discussed a separate salary cap for QBs
With the rising salary cap as the NFL continues to see its annual revenue shoot up, quarterback salaries continue to boost as well.
Speaking on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday, June 18, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said that there are some NFL owners who have floated the idea of capping the figure that quarterbacks are allowed to receive to a certain percentage of a team’s salary cap.
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“There certainly has been a discussion within the league, Rich, among certain owners about even the idea of a quarterback cap,” Pelissero said. “That at some point, you want quarterback numbers to not go over a certain percentage of your salary cap.
There are no caps to any of the salaries of NFL players so as long as its within the salary cap, which for 2024 is $255.4 million, up over $30 million from last season.
A quarterback cap would mirror the structure of the NBA, where there is a max contract that any player can receive, regardless of position. Depending on the tenure and accomplishments of a player, that contract can go as high as 35% of a team’s salary.
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However, the NFL is likely not going to adopt this anytime soon as Pelissero said that the suggestion “hasn’t gained traction,” partly because a lot of teams have already signed their quarterbacks to lengthy deals.
Still, the fact that this is a discussion among some owners suggests that there are active discussion about the league’s salary structure as quarterback contracts continue to shoot to the moon.
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