Cam Newton: Trevor Lawrence was worth massive contract extension

Former Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton is applauding the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence this week for landing a massive $275 million contract extension. Lawrence surpassed Bengals QB Joe Burrow as the new highest-paid player in the league, as he’ll rake in potentially $282.5 million if he hits certain incentive marks.

Asked on his 4th&1 podcast this week whether the former Clemson quarterback is worth the deal he’s received, Newton had a decisive answer.

“Was he worth it? Hell yeah,” Newton said. “He’s from Georgia, the boy can play. Cartersville High School. College ball at Clemson. Boy could play. I tried to have Trevor Lawrence on my 7-on-7 team… but that year I had Justin Fields, so it still worked out.

“Is he being prepared the right way? I believe he is. And does he have the skill around him to really allow him to be great at what he does? I think he does… I know Trevor Lawrence was extremely happy when Joe Burrow got his deal… It just goes higher and higher and higher. He definitely is worth it. He’s a franchise player. The question is can we get the supporting cast around him to make his job easier?”

Despite agreeing that Lawrence is worth the money for the Jaguars, he also noted that the expectations will only soar from here on out. Winning just got a lot more expensive for Jacksonville, and he’ll need to deliver.

Jacksonville breaks the bank for Lawrence

Lawrence’s new deal includes $200 million guaranteed and $142 million at signing. His average of $55 million per year matches Joe Burrow’s deal and re-sets the market for the quarterback who’ll enter free agency next March.

Lawrence is coming off a 2023 season that saw him complete 65.6 precent of his passes while thowing for 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 inteceptions. In his three seasons with the Jaguars, the Clemson alum has a career passer rating of 85 and record of 20-30. The Jaguars exercised Lawrence’s fifth-year option on his rookie deal in April.

On Thursday, Lawrence explained that one of the biggest reasons for signing the extension is because he and his family see the city as their home.

“Obviously, financially it’s amazing and really sets us up for the future and for the rest of our lives,” Trevor Lawrence said. “So, that’s a huge blessing. Obviously, that’s a big deal, but I think even more than that is the stability of being here for the long term. However many it ends up being…To be able to say that we’re going to be here and have confidence and know that, that means a lot to us and we love it here. It’s become home. Our families love it, our families love visiting here. And we’ve really settled in — this is home for us. So, we wanted to be here long term.”