JACKSONVILLE – He's in a good place.
If getting there wasn't always easy, Trevor Lawrence said the difficult path was one worth traveling. He said, too, his place now is better than where he was a year ago.
"I would just say [I'm] more comfortable," Lawrence said.
Lawrence, the Jaguars' third-year quarterback, joined senior writer John Oehser this week for the final O-Zone Podcast of the 2023 offseason. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence discussed multiple topics, including his first two NFL seasons – which included a 3-14 2021 rookie season and a 2022 season in which he led the Jaguars to their first AFC South title in five seasons.
The Jaguars overcame a 2-6 start in '22, winning their final five regular-season games – and rallying from double-digit deficits to win their last five home games.
"If I looked at my career five years ago or whatever, I would've probably not thought that it would maybe go exactly like that," he said. "But I definitely wouldn't change anything. Even last year, I think that was cool for our team to see.
"We had a great year. We ended up finishing really well. We had a playoff win and came up short in Kansas City [in an AFC Divisional Playoff], but to look back at the beginning of the year, it's not like everything just went smooth for us." Trevor Lawrence
And as Lawrence spoke of preparing for '23, comfort entering a second season playing for Head Coach Doug Pederson was prominent in his thoughts.
"I would say I'm more comfortable in just our system and, and different ins and outs of it, the details," Lawrence said. "Obviously last year's offseason was a little bit different: New staff, a lot of new players, a new offense, new defense … everything is just new. That's how the last couple years have been for me.
"So it's nice to have some carryover, some consistency. Just to have our core intact and to add a few pieces here and there and to be able to build on what we did last year …
"We just started so much further ahead of where we were this time last year."
Lawrence, too, discussed how he handled adversity through his first season and a half – and was asked about remaining confident during the most difficult stretch of his football career.
"I think I felt both emotions at different times," he said. "Last year I had a stretch of four or five games where I really didn't play well at all. So, there were definitely times where it was harder to see through to the other side. But I've always had that faith and that belief deep down that I knew what was going to happen.
"I knew we were going come out on the other side of it. I didn't know exactly when, and you're just hoping it's sooner rather than later."
Listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Trevor Lawrence below. To hear more episodes of the O-Zone Podcast, click HERE.
