Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is currently playing under his rookie contract but could sign a mega-contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars next summer. Head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke are already preparing for that. The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes serve as role models.

At the moment, Trevor Lawrence is a real bargain for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The quarterback is entering his third year in the NFL, and the top pick of the 2021 draft is still playing on his rookie contract. The four-year deal is worth a total of just under $37 million, with a base salary of $940,000 for the upcoming season.

If everything goes normally, the 23-year-old should soon be raking in many times that amount. In the 2024 offseason, Lawrence could sign a new contract that will almost certainly make him the most expensive player in Jaguars history.

“Quarterback salaries aren’t going down, they’re going up. And rightfully so. If you play well, you get paid well. That’s the business,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said this week on the sidelines of the team owners meeting in Phoenix.

Trevor Lawrence is on his way to becoming a franchise quarterback

After a mixed first season in the NFL under then-head coach Urban Meyer, Lawrence had improved significantly last season under Pederson. He led the Jaguars to the playoffs and a dramatic wild-card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Expectations were huge for the former prodigy, and Lawrence now appears to be living up to them. He could become the franchise quarterback who leads the Jags into the longed-for brighter future. Which will come at a price, though, considering the recent quarterback signings.

Derek Carr just signed a four-year deal that guarantees him $100 million. Jimmy Garoppolo, despite his injury history, got a three-year, $72.25 million contract from the Las Vegas Raiders, $45 million of which is guaranteed.

The Arizona Cardinals gave Kyler Murray a five-year, $230.5 million contract, $160 million of which is guaranteed. Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert are expected to sign deals soon that will raise quarterback prices to another level.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are tinkering with the team of the future

Jackson, Burrow, Herbert – Lawrence could soon join that elite circle of the best young playmakers. “If Trevor continues on his path and has another good year, that’s probably going to be the case,” Pederson said, referring to a possible mega-contract for his playmaker: “But you also have to look at the whole team and make decisions based on all those factors.”

Because when payday comes for Lawrence, there will be correspondingly less money for other players. “That’s why we have to make the decisions now and try to give guys long-term contracts so we don’t have to worry about that next season,” Pederson said.

Tight end Evan Engram was franchise tagged and running back D’Ernest Johnson was signed as a strong backup to Travis Etienne. It will be interesting to see what else Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke have in store.

Anyway, success is not to be forced. Going all-in now and going on a Super Bowl run while Lawrence is still playing for small money is not a serious option. Instead, the football of the future in Jacksonville should be sustainable and successful, Baalke told us.

The Kansas City Chiefs serve as a role model

There’s a role model for that, too. “The Kansas City Chiefs proved that you can do it,” the GM told “PFT Live.”

The Chiefs built a team around their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes that has since won the Super Bowl twice – although Mahomes signed a mammoth ten-year contract worth $450 million in 2020 in the interim.

Numbers in this range could also be realistic for Lawrence if his development continues to be so positive.

In any case, the Jaguars are already making preparations for the day when their quarterback will no longer be a bargain.