The Houston Texans are looking to win their third straight AFC South championship in 2025, but they’ll have to go through an improved division to get there. One of the teams that has made the most improvements is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hired Liam Coen and made a draft day trade for Travis Hunter to try and get the most out of franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence is coming off a disastrous season in 2024. But even with all of the help, it appears the former No. 1 pick is still spinning his wheels trying to catch the Texans on the first day of offseason team activities (OTAs).
Trevor Lawrence Throws 2 Interceptions on First Day of Jaguars’ OTAs
Lawrence took the field to practice for the first time since December, and it did not go well. According to WJXT’s Jamal St. Cyr, Lawrence fired a pass between two receivers straight into the hands of Darnell Savage during an 11-on-11 drill. While it may have been on the receivers to get to the ball, Lawrence doubled up later in 7-on-7 drills, throwing an interception on a pass that was popped up and into the hands of Jarrian Jones.
It would be understandable if Lawrence had some rust to shake off. The last time he played in a game, he was leveled with a controversial hit by Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and missed the rest of the season. Even before that, Lawrence was dealing with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss a pair of games before the matchup with the Texans.
Rationale aside, it’s not what Jaguars fans want to be hearing. Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract last summer, but didn’t look like a franchise quarterback in 2024. He threw for a career-low 2,045 yards and 11 touchdowns while his 60.6% completion percentage was has lowest since his rookie season. He also threw seven interceptions in 10 games and had the year end early due to his injuries.
It’s why the Jaguars were aggressively trying to pry Coen from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by firing general manager Trent Baalke this spring. It’s also why new general manager James Gladstone traded two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Hunter and a pair of Day 3 selections. The Jaguars are trying to make sure Lawrence isn’t the next Kirk Cousins, a quarterback who gets paid like a franchise quarterback but doesn’t play like one, and it could blow up in their face.
Texans fans should remember that this is OTAs and any play is going to get magnified. If C.J. Stroud throws an interception when Houston begins its workouts, we’re probably going to hear how the offensive line isn’t coming together or Stroud is taking a step back entering Year 3. But it’s still encouraging to hear a rival still trying to shake out the cobwebs as they return to the field in 2025.