People who pay attention to collegiate football were likely excited to follow the promising career of Trevor Lawrence. He has quickly established himself as one of the most dominant players in college football history, but that has changed a bit since his arrival in the NFL. People were split on Lawrence, knowing he’d be going to the worst team in the league and that his skill could potentially go to waste.
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Lawrence seems to be making the most out of his situation by helping lead a generally bad team with some bad players to find a lot more success than they previously had found. Still a young player, there’s plenty of time for Lawrence to wind up on a better all-around team and make his mark on the history of the NFL.
10 He Was A Major Collegiate Record-Setter Before The NFL
People who enjoy watching football but don’t really follow prospective stars while they’re in college may have not been aware of Trevor Lawrence a short while ago. Some people may have heard whispers, but then may have been underwhelmed once he arrived in the big league.
It shouldn’t be understated just how impressive Lawrence was while he played for Clemson, even breaking their record for quarterback wins. He was consistently named as an MVP, one of the best players in the country, and was often a top contender for the Heisman Trophy.
9 He Didn’t Lose A Serious Game Until The End Of His Sophomore Year
Being undefeated for any stretch of time in football is always an impressive task. One bad day from a few key players is more than enough to lead a fantastic team to a loss at the hands of an objectively lesser team.
Luckily for Lawrence, he managed to go quite a while before he lost a major game. Rather than being responsible for a loss in his first year, he wouldn’t actually lose a game until his sophomore year at Clemson. Still, the game he lost was a championship game.
8 He Managed To Surpass Deshaun Watson
NFL fans and fans of both the Texans and Browns will surely know who Deshaun Watson is. He was another major player for Clemson, and was a solid first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has managed to catch the eyes of fans all over for his excellent play, but Lawrence one-upped him.
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Lawrence managed to take the Clemson records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Both of those already impressive records were held by Watson at the time, and Lawrence managed to breeze past them with little issue.
7 He’s Known As One Of The Greatest NFL Prospects Ever
With how well Lawrence managed to play before he ever reached the NFL, it’s probably a safe bet that coaches everywhere were scheming about how they could end up with him on their team. His skill had him marked as the man to go first in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Everyone who made that claim was correct, as he went to the Jaguars as the first pick. One of the most famous comparisons Lawrence received was to Peyton Manning, a name that any player would be more than happy to be in the company of.
6 He Likely Could Have Earned A Heisman Twice
To date, Archie Griffin is said to be the only player to ever earn the Heisman Trophy twice, but it’s possible Lawrence could have done it. While he didn’t win it once, he was one of the top prospects to earn it more than once.
On two occasions, Lawrence would end up having his shot at the trophy dashed by bad luck. After an impressive rookie season in college, he wound up with a rough start to his sophomore year, and ended up catching COVID-19 during his junior year, both things that are factors to why he ultimately lost out.
5 He Won The Archie Griffin Award
While Lawrence was unable to get his hands on a Heisman, he did manage to get an award that is arguably just as prestigious during his freshman year. Lawrence wound up earning the Archie Griffin award, denoting excellence to the MVP level on the field.
The award was named after the only player to have earned the Heisman twice, so while he didn’t end up getting that prize, the one he did get is a serious badge of honor. He and Deshaun Watson are the only Clemson alumni to earn that award so far.
4 He Was Drafted By The Jaguars At Their Worst
Being the worst team in the league does often come with a few perks, and there’s never anything wrong with having the pick of the litter when it comes to the hottest talent that is finally ready for the NFL.
The Jaguars drafted Lawrence while they were essentially the worst team in the league, and arguably one of the worst in NFL history. The Jaguars had lost 15 games with only a single win in their previous season, and their loss column would only continue to grow.
3 He Ended The Jaguars' 20-Game Losing Streak
While Lawrence didn’t have the greatest start to his NFL career, it is worth remembering the team he ended up saddled with. Luckily, Lawrence still presents a beacon of hope for Jags fans.
The Jaguars would lose a few games to start their season, but Lawrence would eventually lead the team to a victory that would end their twenty-game losing streak. While they still wouldn’t do great, winning three games is better than only winning one.
2 An Entire Slogan Was Created Around Him
Who could forget Tank For Trevor? It was a phrase that even casual football fans ended up hearing at some point because the draw of the player was worth finishing as poorly as possible for an entire season.
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The phrase became the subject of memes, but it was used rather seriously by staff and even commentators because the message behind the words was what was important. Teams wanted Lawrence because they felt he would be able to turn around the less than enviable situations that many teams had fallen into.
1 His Rookie Contract Was Worth More Than $60 Million
Signing the average rookie to an NFL contract isn’t usually a big deal, but Lawrence is anything but the average rookie. Rather than a million dollars with a signing bonus, Lawrence landed a contract with the Jaguars that wound up with him taking home roughly $60 million.
The four-year contract is worth 36.8 million dollars, and his signing bonus was $24.1 million. If Lawrence is smart, he’s already got more than enough money to not have to worry about his future, so everything past this contract is just icing on the cake.
