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Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence laughs off Steelers trade rumor, talks Liam Coen
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- Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence laughs off Steelers trade rumor, talks Liam Coen
Trevor Lawrence has no intentions of leaving the Jacksonville Jaguars .
During an interview with Kay Adams on the Up and Adams Show Monday, Lawrence addressed a recent false trade rumor to the Pittsburgh Steelers . He was aware of the rumor, but the flames were quickly put out by head coach Liam Coen and Lawrence's representatives.
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Plus, as Lawrence told Adams, he has a no-trade clause in his contract, so any trade Jacksonville wants to make regarding the QB must be approved first by Lawrence himself. A Jaguars source called the idea of a trade "laughable" and that the Steelers have not called.
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Still, the rumor apparently became significant enough to have Lawrence's agents reach out to the team amid a search for the next general manager — another red flag for any rumor-mill fanatics.
"My agent texted me and was like, 'Hey, this is a report that's out there. I don't think there's anything to it, but I'll check into it.' So, I saw it. It's funny, though, when he sent it to me, I was like... I wouldn't say your heart drops, but you're kind of like, 'what?'" Lawrence told Adams.
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"... and then I'm thinking about it like, I have a no-trade clause in my contract, I would know about it if I was getting traded, or if that was something that was going to happen, I'd have to be on board with it. Which I'm not. I'm happy here in Jacksonville. We want to win a Super Bowl here and I think we can do that. I don't want to leave Jacksonville."
Lawrence said his representatives reached out to ESPN's Adam Schefter to clarify, particularly because the Jaguars do not have a general manager yet. He also said Coen texted him to put water on the flame.
"Liam said, 'I shouldn't even have to say this, but that's not coming from us.' I was like, yeah I figured, so we're all good. He didn't even have to send that. There was no doubt on my side," Lawrence said.
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Drafted with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence has quickly become the team's franchise quarterback. Last offseason, Lawrence and Jacksonville reached an agreement on a five-year, $275 million contract extension. Even if the Jaguars wanted to trade the signal caller, they'd sustain significant cap ramifications, in addition to a likely riot outside EverBank Stadium.
Still, his career has not been all sunshine and rainbows. His rookie year was a self-proclaimed mess marred with constant distractions and poor leadership at head coach. In his second season, Lawrence helped take the team to the playoffs, earning an AFC South title.
In his third season, the team fell just short and last year the season went off the rails due to injuries and poor play, ending 4-13 and wholesale changes within the front office and coaching staff.
Lawrence has completed 63.3% of his passes for 13,815 yards, 69 touchdowns and 46 interceptions.
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But with Coen now in place, Lawrence is optimistic for the team's future.
Trevor Lawrence looking forward to Liam Coen, Jaguars offense
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence listens intently as his new head coach, Liam Coen, speaks at his introductory press conference on Jan. 27.
Lawrence was asked about the Jaguars' future led by Coen and the team's new coaching staff. He expressed his excitement for the changes and detailed his growing relationship with the first-time head coach.
Before meeting him in person during his introductory press conference a few weeks ago, Lawrence said he spoke with Coen on the phone and could feel his enthusiasm there. Since then, the two have spent some time together.
"Just his energy, I could hear it immediately. Obviously, meeting him here, we've spent some time, some more extended time together now. Just his energy, he's passionate. He has a drive to win, to have success," Lawrence said of his impressions of the new head coach.
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"This is his first head coaching gig, and he has a lot to prove. I think, to see what he's done in his past as a playcaller with a lot of different quarterbacks at college, the NFL level, obviously with the Bucs last year. I'm really excited, just from a football perspective, of the scheme, the offense we're going to run."
Coen has had success in multiple stops, including with the Kentucky Wildcats, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as of late.
He's worked with quarterbacks such as Will Levis , Matt Stafford and Barker Mayfield along with a variety of QBs at his various stomping grounds.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers talks with offensive coordinator Liam Coen during the first half of a preseason NFL game against the Miami Dolphins at Raymond James Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Last year, Coen transformed the Buccaneers ' offense into one of the league's powerhouses. After fielding one of the worst rushing attacks in the league in 2023 (90.4 yards per game), Coen helped make it one of the best in football, ranking fourth in 2024 with 149.2 yards per game.
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The offense also went from 20.5 points per game in 2023 to 29.5 this past season.
Lawrence hopes the Jaguars can also have that success, noting that Coen's offense starts with the ground game, something Lawrence has said needed to be improved in the past.
"How he sets everything up, the run game. I'm just really, really excited for that. But then the leader, the energy, he's a younger guy. I think just the juice he's going to bring into the building, and the staff he hired, it's a good mix. We have a lot of young coaches, but we also have some veteran, older guys that are that have been doing it for a long time, that are experienced," Lawrence said.
"I think he's done a really nice job assembling the staff and personality-wise, I love the the guys that he's gotten. He's as far as [Jaguars offensive coordinator] Grant [Udinski] and [Jaguars quarterbacks coach] Spence [Spencer Whipple] at OC and quarterback coach and everybody else that I've met has been great."
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Lawrence is continuing to rehab from an AC joint sprain that required surgery. He shed his sling three weeks ago and told Adams that he's starting to do more now. He is about 10 weeks removed from surgery and noted that he still has some more work to do as far as building strength and getting full range of motion back, but he's on his way.
"It's feeling a lot better than it was in that sling," he said.
Lawrence will work through that as the Jaguars continue through their process next week at the NFL Scouting Combine where a new general manager will be in place. The team's leading signal-caller is fully on board.
"I'm really excited and optimistic about the future, and as far as the past, I think, just trying to continue to learn and get better every year. Don't let those things go to waste," said Lawrence.
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence wants to stay, laughs at Steelers trade rumor
