The Jacksonville Jaguars‘ playoff hype train took its own sweet time, but it’s finally rolling right before their season opener against the Browns.
With the spotlight finally highlighting a 13-4 team’s ceiling, it’s bringing some much-deserved buzz to Trevor Lawrence as a serious MVP contender.
The NFL brings its usual gauntlet this season, with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and the rest of the field making compelling cases. However, Lawrence is entering the fall with some of the finest supporting talent of his career and a level of receiver chemistry that leaves last year’s struggles in the rearview.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon put Lawrence as a bold MVP prediction for the 2026 season.
“It took longer than many expected, but the 26-year-old former No. 1 overall pick has finally found it,” Gagnon wrote.
Trevor Lawrence Finally Generating MVP Buzz
“The competition will generally be fiercer this year than it was in that stretch, but I also expect Lawrence and Coen to take another big leap after a full offseason of review and revision,” Gagnon added.
The entire offseason, Lawrence spent time building chemistry with the team’s top wide receivers, Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr., making them his go-to targets after struggling with that connection last season.
He also has two-way star Travis Hunter back in the fold. Though it is unlikely he will be getting crucial wideout snaps over Washington or Thomas, given his primary cornerback duties and the team’s established depth at receiver.
“Nobody’s questioning Lawrence’s talent. Now, he has the sensei. Does he have the requisite talent surrounding him? The jury’s still out, especially if a now-healthy Travis Hunter is more of a corner than a wideout. The reality is that a lack of oomph elsewhere on offense (including across the line) could work in Lawrence’s favor for MVP consideration if he continues to improve under Coen and keeps the Jags in contention anyway,” Gagnon says. That would be once the Jags prove their success under Coen is continuing this season.
Until then, Lawrence is pegged as an MVP dark horse.
For Now, He’s Still a Dark Horse
ESPN asked its staff to vote for their MVP favorites, and Lawrence got only two out of 60 votes, with Joe Burrow taking the majority of votes. But despite all the outside underestimation, Lawrence made it to being an MVP finalist last season—doing it for the fifth time and standing alone as the only player in Jags history to reach that ground.
Still, Lawrence was an MVP finalist and a finalist for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award last season.
NFL.com’s Dan Parr argues that the sheer lack of buzz surrounding Lawrence is because of the front office’s lack of activity in free agency.
“I’m presuming the lack of buzz stems from the Jaguars’ inactivity in free agency and perceptions that the team might have overachieved in Year 1 under Liam Coen,” Parr writes. “But it’s going to take development from Lawrence and some skill-position players to put him squarely in the MVP conversation.”
Coen’s improved schemes and the roster they have look equipped enough for that.
“He’s coming off his best season, and it’s entirely possible a second year in Coen’s system will bring out an even better version in a division Jacksonville has proven it can win.”
Jaguars Finally Get Trevor Lawrence Prediction They’ve Been Waiting For