With a May 2 deadline to activate each one, the Jaguars have exercised the fifth-year contract options for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne and will decline the same option for recently-acquired quarterback Mac Jones, the latter decision reported by Michael DiRocco of ESPN on Tuesday.
Expected to back up Lawrence during the 2024 campaign, Jones’ 2025 option — equivalent in value to Lawrence’s, $25,664,000 fully guaranteed, per Over the Cap — was not expected to be picked up.
Each player was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, making them eligible for fifth-year options as outlined in the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The Jaguars traded for Jones in March, exchanging their No. 193 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft for the Jacksonville-native passer and 2021 first-round selection by the Patriots.
New England chose Tennessee quarterback prospect Joe Milton with that pick on Saturday, following their selection of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 in the first round Thursday.
Jones, who attended Alabama following a successful career at local Bolles High School, started in each of his 42 regular season appearances with New England over three seasons. However, injuries and underwhelming performance limited him to 25 games over the past two years.
In that stretch, Jones completed 864-of-1,308 (66.1%) passing attempts for 8,918 yards with 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He also rushed for 327 yards and a touchdown.
Jacksonville, owning the No. 1 pick in 2021, took Lawrence from Clemson 14 picks before New England selected Jones.
Lawrence has completed 1,116-of-1,750 (63.8%) passes for 11,770 yards with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions over 50 regular season starts with the Jaguars, adding 964 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing.
Both quarterbacks clinched playoff berths with their drafted teams.
Jones, then a rookie, and the Patriots were eliminated in the 2021-22 AFC Wild Card round by AFC East rival Buffalo, 47-17. Lawrence and the Jaguars were defeated by Kansas City in the 2022-23 AFC Divisional Round, 27-20, after beating the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card weekend, 31-30.
