Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence catches shade with trade projection

Trevor Lawrence has spent the last few years living somewhere between "future superstar" and "what happened?" depending on which Sunday you happened to watch. That reputation showed up again when ESPN's Bill Barnwell put together his latest hypothetical NFL trade values. Barnwell pegged Lawrence's value at two first-round picks and more. It's a respectable return, but it also came with a fairly measured assessment of where Jacksonville's quarterback stands heading into another season. It came with a little shade, too. "This is a relatively optimistic view of Lawrence," Barnwell wrote before pointing to the highs and lows that have defined the former No. 1 overall pick's career. There have certainly been both. More sports news: Mike LaFleur Hire Already Seen as a Win for Cardinals Lawrence closed the 2025 season on a high note, throwing 15 touchdown passes against just one interception over his final six games while averaging more than eight yards per attempt. It was the kind of run Jaguars fans had been waiting to see and a reminder of why so many believed he could become one of the league's elite quarterbacks. At the same time, Barnwell noted that run came immediately after a three-interception outing against the Cardinals. That's been the challenge with Lawrence. The good moments are there, but so are the mistakes that seem to arrive at the worst possible time. Barnwell summed it up by calling Lawrence "a talented-yet-inconsistent quarterback who can make plays with his arms and legs but also puts the ball in danger more often than coaches would like." That's a fair description, but it also feels like Lawrence deserves a little more credit than he sometimes gets. Bills Get Props for Coaching Move, But It’s Not Joe Brady Quarterbacks don't become afterthoughts because they're inconsistent, especially when they've already shown they can carry an offense for extended stretches. Lawrence has done that. He's also dealt with coaching changes, roster turnover and the kind of week-to-week instability that can slow any quarterback's development.