With the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence, paving the way for the former Clemson signal-caller to be the franchise QB for years to come.
While his career got off to a rocky start, Lawrence has since settled into his role, leading Jacksonville to a division championship and a playoff victory in his sophomore season. Despite missing out on the postseason in 2023, Lawrence inked a contract extension with the Jaguars ahead of the 2024 season, reaffirming his commitment to the franchise and vice versa.
Since drafting Lawrence, Jacksonville has made a conscious effort to build around its franchise QB. In addition to bringing in offensive playmakers, the Jaguars have bolstered their QB room to have a plan in the case of an emergency to their franchise arm.
As Jacksonville looks to return to the playoffs in 2024, here's an updated look at a QB room headlined by Lawrence and another first-round pick from his draft class.
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Jaguars QB depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Trevor Lawrence |
| 2 | Mac Jones |
| 3 | John Rhys Plumlee |
Starter: Trevor Lawrence
Lawrence, a Day 1 starter with the Jags, has settled into his role as the franchise QB. After going 3-14 during a tumultuous rookie campaign in 2021, Lawrence led his team to a 9-8 record in 2022, throwing for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
With Lawrence under center in 2022, Jacksonville ended a four-year playoff drought and then pulled off a miraculous comeback in the Wild Card round, giving the then-23-year-old his first playoff victory.
Year 3 was not as kind to Lawrence, as he and the Jaguars could not make it two consecutive playoff appearances. The 2023 season also marked the first time Lawrence missed a game due to injury, as an ankle injury kept him out of Jacksonville's Week 17 victory over Carolina.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Lawrence inked a five-year, $275 million extension with the Jaguars, signaling a job well done during his first three seasons. With a new contract and offensive weapons abound, Lawrence is expected to help lead Jacksonville back to the postseason despite a rough 0-2 start to the season.
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Backup: Mac Jones
Like Lawrence, Jones is a former first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Patriots used the No. 15 overall pick in 2021 to select Jones as the heir apparent to Tom Brady.
With big shoes to fill, Jones got out to an impressive start to his career, doing his part to lead New England to a 10-7 record before suffering an ugly loss to open the 2021 playoffs.
After his solid rookie campaign, things quickly deteriorated for Jones in New England and it became evident that he was not the answer at QB. After Jones' third season, both he and New England were poised to move in a different direction.
In March, the Patriots traded Jones to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It is a homecoming for the 26-year-old, who was born and raised in Jacksonville before attending the University of Alabama.
During the 2024 preseason, Jones' play impressed Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson. Despite the ties, the Jaguars declined Jones' fifth-year option, meaning he will enter free agency after the 2024 season.
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Practice squad: John Rhys Plumlee
Plumlee began his college football career at Ole Miss before transferring to Central Florida in 2022. Over two seasons with the Knights, Plumlee led the team to a 13-10 record in games he started. Plumlee also played baseball at UCF.
Despite a solid two-sport career at UCF, Plumlee did not hear his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft. He signed with the Steelers shortly after the draft and remained with the team through training camp before he was waived in late August.
Plumlee signed with the Jaguars on Aug. 30, joining the practice squad ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 season.