Rich Eisen on Whether or Not the Jaguars HAD to Give Trevor Lawrence That $275M Contract 

Yall ever let this play in the background and not listen to a single word anyone says sometimes 🤣

Its the Rich Eisen show for a reason.

The dumbest part of this convo is that Trevor's cap hit stays below 10% until 2027(where it climbs to 11% of the total est cap). This is why you sign your QB early. You can stretch the new money over the final 2 years of the rookie contract. He sells jerseys and tickets. The owners will make their money on him. Even if he's league avg over the next 4 seasons, theres no damage done to the team's ability to build around him. If he plays like a top 10 QB, he's a certified bargain by 2026. We're all out here making fun of Jerry Jones for dragging his feet and ruining his cap when it comes to paying his players on their 2nd & 3rd contracts, but then we trash the Jags for avoiding that very situation. Also it's worth noting that the Jags built a bad rep when Coughlin came back to oversee the football operations. They had to avoid this contract drama.

I think QB salaries are getting out of control. Especially when a current mid tier is getting the highest salary in the league just because he's the "next guy up". There should be a cap within the cap. No single player regardless of position should count for more than 12% of the team cap.

Show ain’t the same without you, Rich.

Can't wait to see the reaction when Tua's contract comes in higher than Trevor's.

I'll bite: Yes the Jags had to get the deal done, because if they waited another year or two the sum might have been $75M/yr...this is getting the deal done before rate gets higher later...

Just because you're a starter doesn't mean you pay them top of the market. How about pay them what they're worth?

The Browns started this with that insane guaranteed contract they gave Deshaun Watson. That was only a couple years ago, and since then QB salaries have gone from mid $40mil to mid $50mil per year.

i really don't get the "just find another qb lol" argument jags haven't had a franchise guy since david garrard, what makes you think that they'd find another so easily

Brad Holmes is looking smarter every week that passes. 3 big signings... All for "the most". A month later. All saved money. Brilliant.

it's amazing how small the difference in talent might be between a starter and a backup, but the backup is earning less than 2% of that starter's salary.

Brockman needs to understand that its WAY easier to get worse at QB than it is to get better than Trevor Lawrence. I dont think T Law needed to be top of the market, but he needed to be 50+ million

The two best QBs in the NFL arent even in the top 6 anual salary. Bizarre

Struggling to understand how Rich can accept market value for QBs but with RBs he can’t do it. It’s all supply and demand

The thing I think a lot of people are missing with this whole situation is that if Trevor doesn’t take that next step Baalke is getting fired for not surrounding him with the right talent, and Pederson is getting fired for not developing him. Khan is going to bring in an entirely new coaching staff and hire a new GM who will blow up the roster at which point Trevor’s contract and the team’s cap space won’t matter anyway. By the time they’re ready to contend again Trevor will be gone and most of his money will have already been paid. It’s not like there was a scenario where they waited to pay him, he didn’t play well, and Trent and Pederson get to draft a new QB and start over. All three guys’ careers in Jacksonville are directly tied to each other.

Whatever happened to the idea that it's better to have a QB on a rookie deal and building up the rest of the roster?

All you have to do is look at Cousins. He has received top $$$ for not accomplishing anything in the post season. Cousins is not worth top dollars based on post season success!

The QB position in the NFL is no longer a performance base spot.....it is all about being a starting QB and you get paid, even though you haven't won.....bizarre!!

Mahomes is making all these contracts look ridiculous

You send the message. I cannot fathom paying these mediocre AT BEST Quarterbacks record contracts. "Market Value" does NOT mean every guy up is due the best contract.

In 2 years and Tier 2 QB's will get 70M and Jax will be sitting there with their dirt cheap QB and cap space to pay the people to help him.

It's really not a bad deal. His cap this year is only like 4 mil, his 5th year option is like 23. So in all it's a 7 year 300 mil contract so it's more like 40 a year

"Market value" and "top dollar" are not the same thing for some guys - definitely not this one

This "next up" way of pay QBs is beyond stupid. It's gonna cost more if you wait but at least you'll know. Lawrence, Herbert, and Tua have all had mediocre careers and yet they're going to get paid because they're up next and it'll be cheaper now? The Chargers are an all-around dumpster fire, Lawrence turns the ball over and has played a lot of solid to bad football, and Tua can't play when it's cold and/or when Tyreek isn't on the field. The Dolphins are an entirely different team when Tyreek isn't out there. More often than not if you pay early you end up in the Cowboys situation... Great regular season, a few 1st round playoff wins, and no conference titles or SB appearances (forget winning it lol) in 30 years. Wait.

Y’all looking at the huge number when in reality it’s a team friendly deal for the next two years he’s still basically on his rookie deal no major cap hits!!!

Everyone is missing the actual numbers on the Trevor Lawrence pay. The contract doesn't kick in for another 2 years which makes it 275 over 7 years which is more like 40 million a year. In line with your average run of the mill quarterbacks

Look at the cap hits. Over the next 5 years Lawrence has an average cap hit of $27.6 million compared to Burrow at $46 million. After that they can cut Lawrence with no dead cap or give him a new deal.

It's also about sending a message to the fanbase that management is committed to building a winning team. Management is also concerned with filling stadium seats, TV appearances and TV ratings.

Jags need an O line

I love people criticizing Purdy because he’s in the perfect position with great talent all around him, yet SF's number 3 overall QB pick in the 2021 draft is a backup now. Obviously, not just anyone can run SF's offense.

If Trevor’s resume deserves this passionate of a defense of a market-setting contract, then where was the outrage when Baker Mayfield not only did not get paid, but got the unceremonious stanky boot out of town the next year? His resume was actually better than Trevor’s, and his final year in Cleveland had the same issues with the playing through an injury. I guess one difference is that while the Jags may not be the most well-run organization, they aren’t the dumpster fire that is the Cleveland front office.

Here's my thought: not every contact has to be the record breaker. If you offered TL the same deal the Lions gave JG... He'd still be overpaid. However, you would have another three million to pay other pieces of your team. And if your QB is such a diva that he needs to be the top paid in All of Football over seeing the roster as a while get better, then yeah, he needs to prove it. Everyone has seen cheaper QBs winning and were like, "oh that's the formula" for a decade, but everyone keeps over paying QBs. Only Mahomes has won while having a massive deal recently. $50mil is not a slap in the face like these guys ACT like it is. The rbs have way more to complain about salary wise.

High respect for Rich Eisen. Very balanced response on Trevor

Great point.

Saying brock purdy wont look as good without brandon aiyuk and not seeing how that is exactly the reason why you dont over pay qbs is hilarious 😂

What does "Franchise Tag" mean?

What are the Jaguars fans saying

Rich loves a good overpay😂 chis is the only sane one in this interaction

They didn’t have to. They picked up the 5th year option so there are 2 years left. They could have seen how this year went and given him a contract with 1 year left. It wouldn’t have been seen as disrespect like it did with Lamar

As a Steelers fan, if Trevor had gone to FA, I would want them to do whatever it would take to sign him if our QB situation has not dramatically improved. At least half the league would be interested in signing him.

The contract is a sign of Jax as an organization having Low Self Esteem. Paying Larence huge money guarantees they won't be a laughingstock at the expense of also guaranteeing they won't be winning any Super Bowls.

Trevor’s contract is 10th highest in percentage of cap at time of signing among active QBs. A lot more reasonable when you consider the circumstances not just the absolute number.

I understand Trevor may needed to be paid but why tied with Burrow and not say give him Herbert money instead.

Purdy led the league in QB rating after blowing out his elbow...AND...missing training camp because of the blown elbow. I expect Purdy to be even better this year.

One player getting 20% of the salary cap.of the 53 man roster is crazy.

I have a question. At the 3:25 mark you show pictures of 6 quarterbacks and how much they are getting paid. How many combined super bowls victories have those quarterbacks led their teams to? Just saying.

I agree with Chris, look at the Boston Celtics. It wasn’t one player that won the series. It was the team and football is a team sport. Salaries are getting out of hand. Hey Rich , you should ask for a boat load of money at your next contract. Because you do a great job. How come other professions don’t do that??

Smh...should've tagged him.

Brockman just has a personal vendetta against Trevor Lawrence for some reason, but I didn’t hear near this much scrutiny for the Herbert signing from him. and Lawrence is a year younger and beat Herbert in the playoffs. Brockman needs to stand down. His organization last paid a QB money in 2000. He’s not in his element, and it’s obvious.

Makes Brad Holmes look like a chad for getting Goff at an affordable price

Chris is always worried about other people's pockets and ALWAYS hating on it. He's the absolute worst

My God, Brockman is dense. It's hard to watch this show when he's so stubbornly stupid about QB contracts.

15:35 The Celtic dude's comment!! (whoever he is) ...so funny!!! lol >< loved it

There’s Rich, making all the sense in the world.

Rich is right, they were right to give him this now. Other teams would have thrown $60 million at him. Hes not Daniel Jones and offering him DJ money would have led to him demanding a trade. This will save them money in the long run, keep the locker room stable and by the time this contract kicks in, the cap will be $300 million+.

GREAT SIGNING, NO BRAINER! Trevor Lawrence is the franchise

If you're ever in Jacksonville, be careful about criticizing Trevor Lawrence. You could be thrown out of establishments. I found out the hard way last year.

Something else people overlook with Lawrence is he came in and went to a team with back to back #1 picks. And then say “well he hasn’t done anything.”

Btw Chris... Trevor 2-0 vs Josh Allen and Justin Herbert... granted their careers have been better. Both teams have had more pro bowlers AND Trevor got hurt when the team was 8 and 3... I'm not saying he is better then them but he has invigorated this franchise.

If the NFLPA acted like a genuine union, and salaries were slotted, as in QB1 = x million | WR1 = y million and on down the line, the league would be a much better place. But that will never happen because too many others (like agents) would no longer be needed.

The contracts go up, while the quality of the game plummets.

Had the Jets had the 1st overall pick that year, drafted him and had he had the similar performance in New York, he'd be out of there already. Jags ownership seems content with being mediocre, but having a popular QB

And all of a sudden people stooped complaining about Kyler Murray’s contract.

Trevor is not good enough for that contract. This will end up being a browns/watson level trade. There are several reasons Brady got his rings. He was NEVER even close to being the highest paid QB in the league so the team could pay other players.

You pay him then you charge your fans $50.00 for a hotdog and a beer

Extending a QB and making him the highest paid in the league that hasn’t proved he’s the guy after 3 years is crazy…

Leave it to a Patriots fan to completely misunderstand why it’s important to lock down a QB if you think he can be a high tier starter.

I agree with Chris. And yes it can backfire. I am a Broncos fan and no one in the world thought signing Russ would backfire and it did

Rich, I’m disappointed in your take. Absolutely no one believes Trevor is a top five QB or even very close. Chris is absolutely right, the Jags did not have to do this. He did not earn it.

I agree with Rich. QB is a position that doesn’t follow the rules. They had to pay him.

I understand that a QB is the “leader” of a team…But some of these QB salaries are ridiculous. How must it feel for the other players who are working just as hard in positions that take a larger toll on their bodies?

I say make them play for their next contract, like Dak and Baker last season. Lawrence is talented, and no doubt a hard worker behind the scenes, but he needs to prove it.

Just couldn't stop laughing when he said more miles to the gallon. Um...ok...

Who would pay Tua?Maybe LVR,MIN,NYG,SEA

Why not come up with a middle ground solution and make contracts incentive based. Eg 40 million base then bonuses for yards, Rd vs int ratio, winning division, wildcard, then wins through the playoffs, conference championship and SB win. You could take it a step further and say that those incentives do not impact the salary cap which leaves more money for other players.

The Browns fucked the market with the Watson deal and now the Jags did it again.

Real football fans understand this was the right move for their organization.

You said it Rich..."they placed their bet". Some bets are good bets based evidence and history. This is not one of them. I get the impression that many teams make bets on their players for things not directly related to performance like this one. I don't run my business like this and I don't know how these owners got so much money in the first place with this kind of punting.

I love the deal as a colts fan.i know colts fans will claim the colts never beat the jags at jags, but jags fans say the same thing. colts are 500 with jags. neither team can win an away game

Your other option is to let him hit the free agent market and see what everyone's willing to pay him and then you know what the market value is for him. That's basic standard operating procedure. I'm not sure when we started going crazy on giving middle of the road people massive contracts but it's killing the NFL

Rich is way off here, the notion that you’ll “alienate the locker room” by not giving 1/53rd of your roster over 20% of the salary cap is deaf

The walk year? Did something happen to the fifth year option? I guess I'm a casual.

That's how it is with amazon get to work😂

The problem is paying more than Market value lol

These players that have to have the highest paid contract compared to other players doom themselves to depression and problems. You get your best contract and then more when you can. When you're constantly unhappy about what you sign you're bound to have problems in your personal life and your career.

So what Mac supposed to do ?

Who would not take Micah Parsons over Trevor? Pay THAT man.

Had Trevor Lawrence not fumbled a couple of times and not forced the ball when he didn't have to, he would have been the top paid player in the league by himself.

This whole argument is a moot point after what Rich says at 1:54 The Jaguars believe he’s their guy and they’re gonna pay him like that. Plus a lot of people are looking at his stats and accomplishments across the league as opposed to what previous JAGUARS quarterbacks have done. The guy is the most talented QB the franchise has had. Obviously they were not gonna play cheap with him

These contracts are insults to the common fan.

Man, y’all really don’t understand comparing Daniel Jones to Trevor Lawrence is like comparing apple to oranges. If you look at the tape, you will see there’s a huge difference. Jaguar fans go to every game thinking we can win with Trevor Lawrence. Giants fans goes into games thinking how bad is your Jones going to be this game. There is a difference.

Pay has to be caped .

Trevor gonna ball out this year

Something rich isn’t willing to accept is that kyren Williams is actually more productive and deserves more than Trevor does but he’s a running back so we won’t talk about it. Especially now that corrum got drafted to the rams

I wish it was my salary but its not. If Trevor Lawrences employers deem him worthy of that amount of change? Good for him

Yeah Chris doesn't understand that it is more of a 7 year deal on avg 40 a year, but you know math is hard.

Didn't the Browns basically do what Brockman suggests with Baker Mayfield? Hasn't this scenario already happened?

This man loves the sound of his own voice. Idk how it takes this long to make a simple point. 😅

You pay market value for a hot commodity, if the commodity is cold, you pay what you "feel". If you don't come to an agreement, let them walk; avoiding buyers remorse