On Thursday, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a big splash by signing quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a massive five-year, $275 million extension. This deal makes Lawrence the highest-paid QB in the NFL on a per-year basis, tied with Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow. Both will now be raking in a cool $55 million per season, surpassing all their peers in the league.
Here's the updated list of the highest-paid quarterbacks:
- T-1. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: $55 million per year
- T-1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: $55 million per year
- 3. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: $53 million per year
- 4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $52.5 million per year
- 5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: $52 million per year
- 6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: $51 million per year
It’s interesting to note that none of these quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl. Despite their hefty contracts, they've yet to clinch the biggest prize in football. Three of them—Burrow, Goff, and Hurts—have made it to the Super Bowl, but none came out victorious, and they haven’t been back since.
Let’s break down their playoff records:
- Trevor Lawrence: 1 career postseason win in 3 seasons.
- Joe Burrow: 5 career playoff wins in 4 seasons.
- Jared Goff: 5 career playoff wins in 8 seasons (the oldest QB on this list).
- Justin Herbert: 0 career postseason wins in 4 seasons, including a 27-point blown lead against Lawrence and the Jags.
- Lamar Jackson: 2 career playoff wins in 6 seasons (2-time MVP winner).
- Jalen Hurts: 2 career playoff wins in 4 seasons (MVP runner-up).
When you add it all up, these six quarterbacks have played a combined 29 seasons and have only 15 playoff wins to show for it.
Huh?
Sure, finding a franchise quarterback is tough, and winning a Super Bowl is even tougher. But still, it’s puzzling how these massive contracts don’t seem to correlate with postseason success.
These contracts are clearly banking on future success. However, it’s hard to build a winning team when your quarterback’s salary exceeds $50 million a year, especially if they can’t single-handedly carry the team to the Super Bowl like Patrick Mahomes. The pressure is definitely on for Lawrence and the rest of these QBs to deliver in the coming seasons. If they fall short, these contracts could quickly become burdensome.
In the end, the greatest quarterbacks are remembered not for their earnings or regular season stats but for the championship rings they collect. So far, none of the highest-paid QBs in today's NFL have one.
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