JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The season is likely over for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence after the team placed him on the injured reserve list Wednesday afternoon, three days after he suffered his second concussion in less than a year in a game against the Texans.
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Putting Lawrence on IR means that Lawrence will miss at least four games. He could potentially return for the finale, but that seems unlikely with the Jaguars (2-10) officially eliminated from the playoff race. Mac Jones is set to start the remainder of the season. He’s 0-2 in starts this year in place of Lawrence. Pressed into action against the Texans in Week 13, Jones played the best he has all season, including his first two touchdown passes with Jacksonville.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said that Lawrence is likely to have surgery on his left shoulder for a significant AC joint injury that caused him to miss two games. Lawrence returned to the field against the Texans where he suffered the concussion. He remains in the concussion protocol program.
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The team made the announcement on its X account on Wednesday.
We have placed QB Trevor Lawrence on the Reserve/Injured list.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 4, 2024
Lawrence was attempting to slide in the second quarter against the Texans when he was hit by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. The hit was considered illegal and led to multiple skirmishes and ejections. Al-Shaair was suspended three games on Tuesday, although he is appealing the decision.
Hours after the game, Lawrence posted an update on X, thanking fans for their support. There were signs that Lawrence could miss extended time. On Tuesday, the team signed former Bishop Kenny star John Wolford to the practice squad, an indication that the team was planning to start Jones and elevate CJ Beathard from the practice squad.
It’s the second head injury Lawrence has suffered in less than a year. He went into the concussion protocol following a loss to the Ravens on Dec. 17, 2023. Lawrence’s head injury against Baltimore on “Sunday Night Football” wasn’t nearly as bad. Doug Pederson revealed that in passing in his postgame press conference and Lawrence stayed in to finish the Ravens game. Sunday’s injury against Houston was as bad as it gets, with Lawrence’s arms going into the “fencing position” after his head slammed into the ground. That tends to indicate a traumatic brain injury.
Teammates immediately went after Al-Shaair, including rookie cornerback Jarrian Jones who was ejected for throwing a punch.
“I would be naïve to say I didn’t really do nothing,” Jones said. “One of the biggest things I regret about it is getting ejected from the game and not being there for my teammates. But as far as the whole thing went, that’s my brother. I’d do the same thing for all 70 guys or however many make up the Jags organization.”
Pederson on Wednesday said he didn’t have a problem with Jaguars players reacting how they did following the Lawrence injury, and said he was a “little surprised” with Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans saying Jacksonville overreacted to the hit.
After signing a massive $275 million contract extension in the offseason, Lawrence was mired in a tough year. He started slow, picked up things in the middle and then suffered an injury to his left shoulder during a loss to the Eagles. That injury led to the consideration of surgery, but the team and Lawrence held off on that. He missed games against the Vikings and Lions, performances that were two of the worst in franchise history in terms of points allowed, margin of defeat and yards gained.