How Trevor Lawrence’s contract extension affects the Chicago Bears and the NFC North
The quarterback position is the most important position in sports.
It all starts and ends with the starting QB, and the money reflects that. Look no further than the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Jaguars made Lawrence one of the two highest-paid players in football last Thursday. Jacksonville inked him to a five-year contract extension worth $275 million.
This extension comes at a pivotal time for the NFC North. The division is in the middle of figuring out its own quarterback financial figures at the moment.
So far, there’s only one given: Detroit ponied up a four-year, $212M extension for Jared Goff after earning the Lions a berth in the NFC title game this past season.
There are three things that still need to be decided within the division:
- Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie contract
- Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s rookie contract
- Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love’s extension
While it might not necessarily come in that order, two need to be figured out sooner rather than later in Williams and McCarthy. Love’s extension doesn’t need to happen this summer, but the numbers grow as the Packers wait.
Here’s how Lawrence’s extension affects the entire NFC North:
How Lawrence’s extension affects Green Bay
The longer the Packers take to get an extension done with Jordan Love, the more costly it can be.
Especially because Love has all the leverage in this conversation.
Goff had just secured a spot in the NFC championship game when he received his deal. Love was just one or two plays away from playing the Lions on championship weekend.
In the NFC Wild Card round, the Packers defeated the second-seeded Cowboys 48–32 because of love. In the NFL, he has essentially accomplished the same things as Lawrence.
Love has every right to want the same compensation that Goff received if he can lead Green Bay to the NFC Championship Game. Why not demand the same compensation that Lawrence received if he is an All-Pro?Love demonstrated that he was worth the wait by patiently waiting behind Aaron Rodgers. Though it may not be as high as Lawrence’s, he has demonstrated
If Green Bay can’t get an extension done soon, it risks Love’s price tag exceeding what Goff already got.
How Lawrence’s extension affects Minnesota and Detroit
Love’s deal has little bearing on either Detroit or Minnesota team.
Goff has closed the deal. His contract opened up the market for seasoned quarterbacks with system-fitting abilities.
McCarthy, the first overall pick, ought to sign a deal akin to what the No. 10 overall pick from the previous year got.
Darnell Wright, an offensive tackle for the Bears, was selected with the tenth overall pick in the previous year and signed a rookie contract with Chicago worth $20.9 million for four years.
How Lawrence’s extension affects the Bears
There’s common ground here with the Bears and Jaguars.
Lawrence was a No. 1 overall pick, just like Caleb Williams was this year. What we can glean from this is it might not take much success on Williams’ end to earn a massive extension.
The bottomline is Lawrence has not advanced out of the AFC Divisional Round, and his only playoff win came at the expense of Brandon Staley’s Chargers who wasted a 27–0 lead on Lawrence.
Though it raises the question, is that really worth $275 million? That was outstanding.
Maybe not—in fact, it’s an investment in Lawrence’s future—but keep this in mind as well. In 2022, Lawrence completed 4,113 yards of passing. If Williams could match that this season, it would become the Bears’ single-season passing record.
Williams will have every right to demand compensation comparable to what Lawrence received in his agreement if he leads the Bears to the postseason in each of his first three seasons as a member of the team, wins a playoff game, and has the numbers to prove it.
With only those two considerations, is Williams currently worth it? Maybe, maybe not, but if Williams can turn the Bears into a contender, then that number might be a steal.
