Buzz growing around Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence heading into Year 3

The hype surrounding Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is growing ahead of the team’s start of training camp on July 26.

Per Oddschecker, Lawrence (+1700) has the eighth-best odds to win MVP this season and NFL.com recently examined what makes him a trendy pick for the league’s highest individual honor.

Lawrence is one of two quarterbacks since 1950 to double their wins and touchdowns while cutting their interceptions in half from one season to the next, joining future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

Should he build off his grand 2022, Lawrence will join NFL greats Terry Bradshaw and Peyton Manning as former No. 1 overall picks who led the league in interceptions as a rookie but had phenomenal NFL careers.

Lawrence threw 17 interceptions as a rookie while Manning led the league with 28 interceptions in 1998. Bradshaw threw 24 in 1970.

NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry also suggested Lawrence could be due for a massive season in his “100 Facts for 2023” column.

Per Berry, Lawrence was one of three quarterbacks — Josh Allen and Joe Burrow being the other two — “to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 25 touchdown passes and run for at least five touchdowns” in 2022.

Berry went on to note, “Over the past decade there have been seven different QBs that were drafted [No. 1] overall and played a third season in the NFL” and that each one “averaged more fantasy points per pass attempt in year three than they did over their first two years.”

Jacksonville improved from 3-14 in 2021 to 9-8 in 2022 and is an overwhelming favorite to repeat as AFC South champs. Lawrence’s ascendance a season ago was a big reason why the Jags made such a significant leap and it stands to reason that if Lawrence takes another step, so will Jacksonville.

Wide receiver Calvin Ridley is back from his season-long suspension for gambling while a member of the Atlanta Falcons and joins Christian Kirk to give Lawrence an excellent one-two punch at wide receiver. 

A misdiagnosed foot injury contributed to Ridley’s 2021 season being cut short, but he emerged as one of the best young wide receivers in football during his first three seasons. His 26 touchdown receptions from 2018-20 were sixth-most during that span, trailing only Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Adam Thielen and Tyler Lockett.

The stars are aligning for Lawrence to take another giant leap, which Jacksonville needs to keep up in a stacked AFC. The Jaguars shouldn’t be satisfied with only a division title this year. With Lawrence’s stock rising, Jacksonville is capable of so much more.