Trevor Lawrence declined to play in the 2024 Pro Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars QB may have demurred again, opening the way for Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders.
Can we stop with the pearl-clutching over Shedeur Sanders subbing for the 2026 Pro Bowl?
We don't know what's going on behind the scenes (yet), but it wouldn't be a surprise to learn that Trevor Lawrence, who was named a Pro-Bowl alternate on Dec. 23, had declined to participate in this year's Pro Bowl Games.
It wouldn't be the first time the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback declined to serve as a Pro Bowl sub.
Named an alternate in January 2024, coming off the 2023 season, Lawrence declined a late invitation to participate in the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando. AFC starter Patrick Mahomes played in the Super Bowl and Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson opted out altogether; the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa was the only original selection to participate. The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen, who would be named league MVP that Thursday evening, also turned down an invitation to participate. The AFC instead featured Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud and Gardner Minshew, who had played the 2023 season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Did Minshew not set anyone's blood boiling? If he did, he shouldn't have.
And neither should the Cleveland Browns' rookie.
An alternate for the 2023 Pro Bowl following his standout sophomore season with the Jags, Lawrence did sub that year for starter Patrick Mahomes, who didn't participate because the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to Super Bowl LVII (where they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 and Mahomes earned his Super Bowl MVP).
The 2023 Pro Bowl marked the first time the event replaced the traditional tackle-football game with flag football and skills competitions. That year's Pro Bowl Games were held in Las Vegas instead of being played in Hawaii, where the all-star event was held from 1980-2016 or Orlando, where the event moved for 2017-2020. The Pro Bowl had devolved, but not quite to the level of the Super Bowl sideshow it has been reduced to, as the Games are now among the events during the week leading to Super Bowl Sunday.
Lawrence did his duty, was a good sport and played along at the 2023 event, even taking part in the Precision Passing skills competition.
No doubt it was a fun, memorable experience, and his promotion to the Pro Bowl was of an honor of sorts -- Lawrence was the first Jaguar quarterback named a league all-star since 2009, when David Garrard was selected. The NFL made the announcement that Lawrence had been named to the AFC roster on Jan. 31, 2023, (along with Derek Carr and Tyler Huntley).
That's roughly one month and 10 days after the original selections were announced.
Lawrence demurred the following year, even after getting a call from Pro Bowl "coach" and sponsor Peyton Manning. Who can blame him?
Players often see Pro Bowl selections as akin to being named an NFL All Pro, and being voted onto Pro Bowl squads, even as an alternate, means players have had stand-out seasons -- enough so that fans, coaches, and their peers on the field have taken note.
But a Pro Bowl selection is not the same as an All-Pro selection. The first often amounts to a popularity contest, especially when one-third of votes are cast by fans. And by the time the Pro Bowl Games are contested, the previous season has long been over for players, whether they were named starters or alternates.
It's been two weeks since the Jags' season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Josh Allen and the Bills. No doubt Lawrence is enjoying some down time with his family, away from the spotlight. Maybe he'll attend Super Bowl Week festivities, maybe even the big game on Feb. 8.
But Lawrence doesn't have to be part of the Pro Bowl Games. He's done his part for Team, Conference and League.
Now let's let Sanders do his.
After all, it's a rite of passage -- a kind of hazing -- and somebody has to be there.
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