Trevor Lawrence Weighs In On What He’s Hoping To See From Next Head Coach

In an interview with the team website, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence shared a little bit about what he’s hoping to see from the next head coach the team hires. 

He said first and foremost he hopes the new coach can come in and give the overall culture in the building a boost back to just a couple of seasons ago. 

“But as far as just what I’m looking for, you know, I think just a great leader, someone that will again, which I felt like Coach [Pederson] attempted to do, especially our first couple years, was set that culture and have that identity/ And just being a tough team, I feel like we need to kind of get back to some of that,” Lawrence said via SI.com’s John Shipley.

“And for whatever reason, this past season, I felt like we lost some of that, and we had a lot of adversity, injuries and bunch of close games, one score losses, but to get back to that just gritty, tough team that sticks together, I feel like we need to get back to some of that. So, you know, I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Lawrence then went on to say he’d obviously love to have a young coach with an offensive background to work closely with, but that is a secondary concern to getting the best leader in the door. 

“And obviously there’s a lot of different ways you could go as far as offensive coach, defensive coach. I mean, obviously I’m biased. I’m an offensive guy, so I would love to have a — I’d love to have a young offensive coach that can have our system and we can build on it for years to come,” Lawrence said. “But whoever it ends up being just a great leader that can really rally the team around them. Guys that will go out there and put everything on the line for them. I think that’s obviously something you’re looking for. And whether that’s an offensive or defensive guy, just the best leader for our team.”

Here’s the current list of candidates the Jaguars are weighing: 

• Lions DC Aaron Glenn (Interviewed)
• Lions OC Ben Johnson (Interviewed)
• Buccaneers OC Liam Coen (Interviewed)
• Bills OC Joe Brady (Requested)
• Eagles OC Kellen Moore (Requested)
• Ravens OC Todd Monken (Requested)
• Raiders DC Patrick Graham (Interviewed)
• Former Jets HC Robert Saleh (Interviewed)
• Vikings DC Brian Flores (Requested)
• Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo (Interviewed)

Whoever the next coach is and whether their background is on offense or defense, getting more out of Lawrence will be one of their top priorities and a big key to success. 

The former No. 1 pick hasn’t been bad and Jacksonville felt strongly enough about Lawrence to sign him to a mega extension this past summer. But it’s also fair to say there’s a level to Lawrence’s game that he was expected to reach that he hasn’t yet so far. 

Many of the league’s best quarterbacks are also paired with innovative offensive minds, so Lawrence’s hope for a sharp, young offensive play-caller is understandable. But the model can also work with a defensive coach, as the Ravens and Bills have proven. 

Lawrence, 25, was a three-year starter at Clemson and a first-team All-American as a junior and ACC offensive player of the year in his final season. The Jaguars selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

He signed a four-year, $36,793,488 contract with the Jaguars that included a $24,118,900 bonus and later signed him to a five-year, $275 million extension this past offseason.

In 2024, Lawrence appeared in 10 games and completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 2,045 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go along with 119 yards rushing and three touchdowns.