Jaguars' Grant Udinski Weighs in on Pressing NFL Debate

The 2025 NFL season has been a strange one for quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow won't be in this year's playoffs. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are on the cusp of missing the postseason. Dak Prescott and his Dallas Cowboys are on the verge of elimination.

A look at the numbers across the board would say that all of those guys are having a down year. In fact, every quarterback seems to be slumping, even MVP candidates like Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, and Drake Maye. While they've been excellent in leading their teams this season, their statistical output just doesn't stand up to the giants of years past like Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Arizona Cardinals, Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, Trevor Lawrence — Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

How NFL quarterbacking has changed

That's not because NFL quarterbacks have suddenly gotten worse. Whether or not they're on the level of all-time greats like Brees, Brady, and Manning is one thing, but there's still an undeniable amount of tremendous talent at the position. The Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence is largely considered a "mid-tier" QB in the league, and he just set a new NFL record against the New York Jets.

Quite simply, the game is just vastly different now. For one, defenses are more keen on playing two-high shell defenses to limit explosive passing plays. Furthermore, the new kickoff rules make it much easier to drive into scoring position, making it more difficult for quarterbacks to rack up yards.

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There's also the scrutiny of the development of players at the position nowadays. The Indianapolis Colts called 44-year-old grandpa Philip Rivers out of retirement to try to save their season and get them into the playoffs, leading people to question how there weren't any better candidates out there.

Atlanta Falcons veteran Kirk Cousins said that it's not necessarily an issue with developing players, but rather, the NFL requires quarterbacks to be quick processors and go through their progressions rather than try to diagnose coverages. According to Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski, though, Lawrence and the Jaguars do both:

“I’d love to get into it.”

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"We will use a mix of both coverage reads, progression reads, depending on the play, depending on the situation. You're trying to find what's best fit for the quarterback to let him go out there and play fast. There are certainly advantages to those coverage reads that have probably been discussed at length with giving guys simplified looks where they only have to go to one guy and then the second guy, then a third guy."

"But then there are tradeoffs to that, where now there's a lot for them to see, and can they get through those progressions in the proper timing? Can the receivers get to the spacing that they're getting to in the proper timing? Where coverage read presents you advantages, where now I only have to look at one, two, or maybe three guys on a certain side of the field, or I only have to read off of one defender that could present an issue in this coverage in this look, but now it's putting extra pressure on me to be right."

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