Jaguars signing Trevor Lawrence to record-breaking contract extension, plus Chiefs receive Super Bowl rings

He guesses? You made it to Friday! Before we all relax for the weekend, allow me, Tyler Sullivan, to provide everything you need to know about the NFL. Cody Benjamin and I will be together on the newsletter while our friend John Breech enjoys some time off and we’ll do our best to meet Breech’s quota of 47 Bengals and/or Joe Burrow references.

Of course, this is the Pick Six newsletter and be sure to sign up right here so you never miss a second NFL updates. Alright, let’s go.

The quarterback market turned upside down on Thursday when Trevor Lawrence became the latest to receive a monster extension. As CBS Sports Leads NFL Insider Jonathan Jones confirmed, Lawrence and the Jaguars have agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension. The deal tied the first overall pick with Joe Burrow as the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, with an average annual salary of $55 million per season.

Lawrence is also the fourth quarterback to earn $200 million fully guaranteed on a contract, joining Burrow, Deshaun Watson and Justin Herbert. The Jaguars gave pass rusher Josh Allen a $150 million extension in April, making him the first $100 million player in franchise history. Now, Lawrence surpasses that number and becomes the club’s first $200 million player. The QB had two years remaining on his rookie contract after the Jaguars picked up his fifth-year option for 2025 before signing this extension.

To see where the rest of the league’s quarterbacks stack up against Lawrence, Click here.

2. Best play by each AFC team this offseason

With most teams ending mandatory minicamps this week, the NFL is about to enter its quiet period. While teams can add more talent in the coming months before training camp opens, key markers of offseason roster construction have come and gone.

So with that in mind, we’re looking at some of the best moves each team made this offseason. This time, Garrett Podell took a look at the AFC and presented his top plays for each club. Here are some moves that Podell believes are much needed:

• Baltimore Ravens: Signing Derrick Henry. In an offense with Jackson, Henry can remove the burden of boosting the Ravens’ running game from the quarterback, which should allow Jackson to remain fresh as the season progresses – thus improving his playoff performance on offense. Jackson led the league in yards per carry last season (5.5), but with Henry in the backfield, he can save his legs for the postseason, which could allow his regular-season yards-per-carry rate to increase with its accelerated use. decreasing.
• Kansas City Chiefs: Rebuilding the WR room. Patrick Mahomes’ deep ball disappeared the moment All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins. Mahomes threw 41 touchdowns in 20 or more years on the air when Hill was present, from 2018 to 2021, but since his departure he has only thrown such strikes in the last two seasons. That’s why the Chiefs made the two moves they did to acquire receivers with the ability to stretch defenses down the field. They selected Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, who ran a record 4.21 40-yard dash feature at NFL Scouting Combine, 28th overall in 2024 NFL Draft and signing Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a 2019 first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens whose 10 career touchdowns receiving 20 or more air yards since entering the league are tied for 12th most in the NFL in that span. Allowing the best quarterback in football to throw deep again is a big deal.
• Los Angeles Chargers: Signing Jim Harbaugh. Poaching Jim Harbaugh from Michigan, his alma mater, fresh off winning the national championship is a huge win and the best move the Chargers have made this offseason. As coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, he had a 44-19-1 record en route to becoming the only coach in NFL history to reach the conference championship round in each of his first three seasons. He also achieved the Super Bowl in his second season in the Bay Area, finishing just a few feet away from winning it all in the 2012 season.

  His .695 winning percentage is the sixth-best in NFL history and the second-best in the league since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, behind only Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden (.759). Harbaugh’s San Francisco thrived in two areas that Los Angeles was sorely lacking in the Justin Herbert era: running the ball and defense. The Chargers rank 28th in the league in rushing yards per game (101.3) since Herbert was selected sixth overall in 2020 NFL Draftand their defense has allowed 24.8 points per game (28th in the NFL since 2020).

To see the top offseason plays for each AFC team, Click here.

3. Bosses get paid Super Bowl LVIII Championship Rings

The Kansas City Chiefs were able to bask in the glory of Super Bowl LVIII once again on Thursday night. The club received their Super Bowl championship rings in a ceremony headlined by the newest jewel.

Overall, it is an extremely impressive ring. It includes 529 diamonds and 38 rubies encased in 10-carat white and yellow gold. All four of the franchise’s Lombardi Trophies are featured on the face and inside, showing Patrick Mahomes’ game-winning play completing a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman drawn in Andy Reid’s handwriting. One side features the final score from the overtime thriller against the San Francisco 49ers and the words “consecutive”, celebrating their back-to-back titles.

This is the third Super Bowl ring the Chiefs have collected in the Mahomes-Reid era.

4. Saquon Barkley among top candidates for NFL return

Just because a player has established himself as a star in the NFL, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will be a gangbuster every season. Naturally, there are ups and downs in a career, and for these players our own Chris Trapasso is highlighting here, they are looking for a bounce-back campaign in 2024. Trapasso has combed through every NFL roster and identified a handful of veterans who can resurface next season. The main one is Saquon Barkley, who just signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.

I cheated on Barkey: Barkley almost reached 1,000 yards last season – which has become a true milestone in today’s NFL – but it came without much efficiency. His 3.9 yards per carry average was the second lowest full season the super-talented running back achieved. Heck, in 2021, Barkley averaged just 3.7 yards per. And today, this low average YPC will absolutely prevent any club from commanding football.

But fortunately for Barkley, jumping from New York to Philadelphia within the NFC East means he goes from one of the worst and most porous offensive lines, with essentially no continuity, to one of the best blocking collectives in football. Of course, no Jason Kelce is likely to cause some early-season growing pains, but the Eagles have prudently prepared for the post-Kelce era — Cam Jurgens should be able to do many of the same things Kelce did in changing the center position.

Last year, D’Andre Swift averaged 4.6 yards per and all of the Eagles’ backup rushers averaged more than 4.2 yards per. And, vitally, Barkley is not technically “old” by NFL running back standards, as he has yet to reach the dreaded age-28 season. Philadelphia will want to run this with Barkley and Jalen Hurts. Often. I expect well over 1,000 yards for Saquon, well north of 4.0 yards per bag in 2024.

To see Trapasso’s other comeback candidates, Click here.

5. Aaron Rodgers returns: Numbers to know as Jets QB prepares for return

Speaking of recovery, Aaron Rodgers is trying to get his tenure with the Jets off the ground after a torn Achilles tendon erased his first season in New York just four times a year. Our Doug Clawson dove into 10 key numbers surrounding the four-time NFL MVP as he attempts his comeback.

• 12-22-1: If Rodgers gets hurt again, we expect a lot of losses. Rodgers’ backups have a 12-22-1 record since his first start in 2008. The collective includes Brett Hundley, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien, Seneca Wallace, Jordan Love, Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian. New York at least upgraded its backup QB spot with Tyrod Taylor for 2024.
• 1: You can count on a QB for the Jets’ ceiling in 2024. Tom Brady is the only QB with 30+ touchdown passes in a season at age 40 or older. He is also the only QB to win a Super Bowl after turning 40, and he did it twice.
• 1967: I’m sure the Jets would love to see him hit 500, or how about 4,000? The last Jets QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season was the infamous Joe Namath in 1967. Only the Bears waited longer for a 4,000-yard passer. They have never had one in their 104 seasons.

To read the rest of Clawson’s numbers to know, Click here.

6. Bonus points: Dolphins signing Calais Campbell

Here are some other tips from completing minicamps to keep you informed: