Why Trevor Lawrence's 2026 Offseason Was His Best Yet With the Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Trevor Lawrence just had the best offseason he's had with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ever.

We would know. We have covered Lawrence's entire career since he was drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and we have seen him operate each offseason program since then -- all six of them.

To push home why we believe Lawrence just had the best offseason program of his entire career, we are ranking each offseason he has had, and why this one comes out on top.

No. 6: 2021

trervor lawrenc — Jaguars quarterback (16) Trevor Lawrence and teammates listen as head coach Urban Meyer talks with his team between drills at Wednesday's Jacksonville Jaguars training camp session, Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at the teams practice fields outside TIAA Bank Field. | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

This one takes the cake for a number of reasons. The top reason has to be due to Urban Meyer's nonsensical, thoughtless, farcical decision to have Lawrence take reps with the No. 2 offense in favor of ... Gardner Minshew? Who, by the way, the Jaguars would trade before Week 1 began. Meyer wanted Lawrence to earn it, which meant he wasted an entire offseason throwing to backups on offense instead of taking 100% of the first-team reps.

Meyer did a lot of stupid things in his short, but still too-long, stint cosplaying as an NFL head coach. A lot. To the extent that a book can be, and one day, will be written about it. But taking valuable reps away from a rookie Lawrence is pretty high up on his list of Duval-based sins.

Then there is the fact that this was a rookie Lawrence. Fresh out of Clemson, Lawrence was not exactly developed to be a pro style quarterback in college. The difference in refinement between Lawrence during the 2021 offseason and even just a year or two later was substantial. Like most of Lawrence's rookie season, this was a time to forget.

No. 5: 2025

trevor lawrenc — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks coach Spencer Whipple, left, jogs with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) to the next drill during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp Tuesday June 10, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yes, Lawrence's best season in the NFL yet was preceded by his worst offseason not managed by the NFL's worst head coach ever. There were a few reasons for that, but there are two factors that rise above all of the other ones: Lawrence's health, and Lawrence's transition to Liam Coen's new offense and way of doing things.

Coen has talked extensively before about the value in Lawrence being healthy this offseason, becuase it was something the Jaguars simply didn't have a year ago. During last year's offseason program, Lawrence was still recovering from a shoulder surgery that prematurely ended his 2024 nightmare season, and it was clear the impact this had.

It was also a bit touch-and-go as it pertained to the change in offensive systems. Lawrence has since mastered Coen's scheme, but the Jaguars' head coach and play-caller runs an offense that several Jaguars have said is the most extensive they have ever had to learn. Lawrence was not just recovering physically last year, but he was likely swimming quite a bit mentally as well.

No. 4: 2024

For my money, 2024 was the worst season of Lawrence's career. A lot of people will understandably point to his rookie year under Meyer, which was so fruitless that it somehow led to people speculating whether Lawrence was actually the best quarterback in his class. But the 2024 season was filled with injuries, losses, the worst stretch of Lawrence's career individually, and the fact that it was clear as early as Week 2 or Week 3 that the Doug Pederson era was cooked.

The 2024 offseason program didn't exactly inspire much confidence before that. Lawrence and the Jaguars' stale offense struggled to consistently move the ball against Ryan Nielsen's defense, which would finish as one of the worst defenses in franchise history. The supporting cast was questionable, too, and in hindsight this is up there with 2021 in terms of being more forgetable than anything else.

No. 3: 2022

Another year in which Lawrence had to learn a new coaching staff, a new system, and a new supporting cast, the 2022 offseason was actually relatively kind to Lawrence. Part of this is likely due to the fact that it directly followed an abomination of a season marred by the Meyer disgrace, and seeing how competent adults handled things was quite thge leap from Lawrence's rookie season.

Lawrence was still very young and growing as a quarterback during this time, but there were several practices where he looked like the next big thing, just as he was advertised. The fact the Jaguars put some NFL-quality bodies around him at receiver and tight end certainly helped after he threw passes to Tavon Austin and Laquon Treadwell as a rookie, and this offseason created a lot of hope and optimism that was eventually paid off with an AFC South title.

No. 2: 2023

Before this past offseason program, the 2023 offseason served as the tip of the icerbeg for Lawrence's offseason performances. The Jaguars brought back more or less the entire cast from the 2022 season, outside of swapping out Marvin Jones for Calvin Ridley. Lawrence and Ridley had instint chemsitry on the practice field, and Lawrence had a lot of standout practices.

Injuries ended up derailing Lawrence's 2023 season as it dragged on, but he played better during the Jaguars' hot stretch of that season than people remembered. Had the Jaguars not collapsed during the final month of the season, this offseason would have been remembered as the one that propped Lawrence up for a big year.

No. 1: 2026

Entering the 2026 offseason program, there were a few key areas Lawrence was expected to take a leap in. His second year in Coen's system and a fully healthy offseason meant expectations were high for him entering the spring, and all he did was surpass them. Lawrence looked as confident and in command of the offense as he has at any point during his career in the offseason, and it is clear the veteran maturity has kicked in at the position.

Add in the best play-caller and supporting cast he has ever had, and Lawrence had every reason to thrive in May and June. He did just that, displaying improved accuracy to each level of the field, improving as a vertical passer, and finally getting back on the same page with Brian Thomas Jr. This was the best he has ever played in helmets and shorts, and now it is time to see how that carries over to training camp and the regular season.

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