Jaguars’ Lawrence 5th in NFL’s True Franchise Players Rankings

There is no greater ingredient for success in the NFL than a team having a player who is a franchise cornerstone.

Sure, it's great to have depth throughout the roster. Balance is also nice.

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But nothing beats a true franchise player that an organization can build a team around. If you're lucky, that player is your quarterback. However, it can be a dominant edge rusher, a stud wide receiver or running back, or a terrific left tackle who can protect his QB's blind side. If you already have one of those, you can put some extra focus into getting that franchise quarterback.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are fortunate to have one of the most valuable franchise players in the NFL, and he just so happens to be their quarterback.

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report ranked his top-20 true franchise players in the NFL, and Jaguars' QB Trevor Lawrence came in 5th.

For his rankings, Gagnon had some basic guidelines. The players could be no older than 28, still be on the team that drafted them, and have at least one year of NFL experience (no rookies).

Although that makes some of the league's best players ineligible, like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Myles Garrett, having a top-5 player on this list puts Jacksonville in a great position to achieve sustained success.

Lawrence Could Still Be Getting Better

Gagnon believes that Lawrence has elite talent and credits Jaguars' head coach Liam Coen for finally bringing it out of him.

"Let's look at it broadly. Lawrence is an undeniably talented 26-year-old former No. 1 overall pick who posted 15 touchdown passes to one interception and a 113.2 passer rating in his last six games as the Jaguars went 8-0 to conclude the 2025 regular season.

"Even with a soft schedule and a small sample, it appears he has finally hit a groove in head coach Liam Coen's offense. There's little reason to doubt that progress will continue as the two grow together in Year 2."

Lawrence has already spoken about the difference he feels in his second year in Coen's system, saying that having to learn another new offense was "stressful mentally" last season. Now that he is more comfortable and able to focus on the details, Lawrence could reach an even higher level in 2026.

Who Was Ranked Higher Than Lawrence?

Only four players in the entire NFL (who fit Gagnon's guidelines) ranked higher than Lawrence. Who were they?

All were young franchise quarterbacks.

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers was 4th, followed by Philadelphia Eagles' QB Jalen Hurts. Second went to the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots was number one.

Did Lawrence deserve to be ranked above any of the top 4?

Personally, I would rather have Lawrence than Herbert, who is two years older and still hasn't won a playoff game. Herbert has tantalizing talent but hasn't quite reached his ceiling yet, making it fair to wonder if he ever will.

It is very surprising to see Hurts ranked ahead of Lawrence. It is undeniable that he has a much more impressive resume, which includes winning a Super Bowl (while reaching another). However, he has taken a step backward recently. Without A.J. Brown, Hurts may continue to regress as a passer.

Daniels and Maye are two of the most talented QBs in the league, and each is younger than Lawrence. They deserve to be at the top of Gagnon's rankings.

Final Thoughts

Lawrence is one of the most prized foundational pieces in the entire NFL. His combination of talent and youth (still only 26 heading into Year 6) is rare, and he may be just starting to enter his prime.

With Lawrence at QB, Jacksonville has done a great job recently of building a contending team around him. The Jaguars also have a terrific, young HC in Coen, who can grow as a coach as Lawrence continues to grow as a quarterback.

The future in Jacksonville is looking very bright.

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