Trevor Lawrence begins the season ranked 12th in the latest quarterback rankings, but another strong season should see him steadily rise towards the top of the list.
How Trevor Lawrence builds on his 2025 career year will be the most important factor in how the Jacksonville Jaguars build upon their 13-4 season.
In his first year under head coach Liam Coen, Lawrence threw for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns, while adding another 359 yards and nine scores on the ground. He was named an MVP finalist for the first time in his career.
This was the Lawrence everyone expected when he came to Jacksonville in 2021. In his first four years, he had shown flashes of his immense talent, but was never able to put it all together for an entire season.
A big part of Lawrence's underwhelming start to his career was the lack of a stable coaching staff to develop under. Coen became Lawrence's fourth head coach in only five years.
It looks like the Jaguars finally got it right this time.
Coen is one of the best offensive coaches and best play-callers in the league. Once Lawrence became comfortable in his system, both the QB and the team took off. Lawrence admitted that learning the new offense was "stressful mentally," but once he did, he played like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Heading into Jacksonville's season opener tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns, all eyes will be on Lawrence and whether he can take another leap forward. Some critics doubt whether he has truly become one of the best QBs in the NFL, or whether last year was just a hot streak from a notoriously inconsistent quarterback.
Lawrence is still on the outside looking in for most top-10 QB rankings. He will need another season like 2025 before he cements his spot as one of the best.
Nick Shook of NFL.com ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks for Week 1. He has Lawrence ranked in his second tier, 12th overall, right between Jared Goff and Jordan Love. While that may seem low for someone who was a finalist for MVP, Shook called Lawrence the "most fascinating" QB in Tier 2.
Credits "Marrying Perfectly" With Coen
Shook believes that the duo of Lawrence and Coen can continue to grow together and bring the QB to even greater heights. He also thinks Lawrence's ability to make plays with his legs adds another dimension to his game.
"Trevor Lawrence hopped back on the radars of many (and climbed these rankings) by marrying perfectly with Liam Coen's offense, using his legs more and producing the best version of himself in his pro career. He's perhaps the most fascinating subject of this whole group. Can he and Coen do it again, and build upon the successes they enjoyed in the second half of 2025?"
Now that he has learned Coen's system, there is no reason why Lawrence can't be even better this season. Having the right head coach for the first time in his career was really the missing piece Lawrence needed to play to his full potential.
Final Thoughts
Lawrence has the talent to jump much higher in quarterback rankings. He just needs to prove that last season was more than just one of his hot streaks.
Shook will be adjusting his rankings week-by-week, so Lawrence can wind up much closer to the top with continued strong play.
He gets his chance to start the season off with a bang when the Jaguars open their season against the Cleveland Browns tomorrow.
