JACKSONVILLE – Health will be considered above all else.

Trevor Lawrence likes his progress. He is optimistic about the future. But in the NFL, availability is key – and the Jaguars' quarterback said on Thursday that's his focus moving forward.

"It's definitely challenging," Lawrence said.

Lawrence, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft and the Jaguars' starter the past four seasons, spoke to the media Thursday – four days after the end of a 2024 regular season in which he missed seven of the last eight games with a shoulder injury.

Lawrence underwent shoulder surgery on December 17, and said Thursday he expects to be fully healthy by the start of the 2025 regular season.

"I don't know the exact timeline," Lawrence said, adding that his left arm will be in a sling for two-and-a-half more weeks. "I'm starting to do more rehab on the shoulder, starting to move it a little bit, so it's been good. I'll definitely be good by the season obviously and I'm hoping for most of OTAs too, but I don't know.

"I'm going to be smart with it and not rush into OTAs too quickly, but it's not going to really affect too much of the offseason and hopefully, I'll start being able to train in the next couple of months."

Lawrence, after starting the first 49 regular-season games of his career, has missed eight of the last 19 games. He left four games with injuries in 2023, and played through three different injuries – a concussion, a shoulder sprain and a high-ankle sprain – in the final six games that season.

"Really the last two seasons, that has been a struggle for me," Lawrence said. "Last year, I only missed one game because of it, but still I was dealing with a lot of injuries. That's something in my career until last year I didn't I didn't deal with really much.

Lawrence added, "I feel like I've gotten better every year, but the big piece of it is being healthy. Being the franchise quarterback, I have to be out there. I have to be on the field and have to be available. That's difficult for me to not be able to do that."

Lawrence on Thursday also discussed the need to limit direct hits, which can take a short- and long-term toll on a quarterback's effectiveness.

"You're not going to limit everything, but just doing my part to stay out there and not taking unnecessary risks when I when I need to be healthy for the season for one play – you have to weigh that," he said. "Is it worth it getting the first down, this one play on the second down, or is it more important to stay healthy for the long term?

"I've learned a lot through injuries and the different ways they've happened, and how I can try to protect myself more because that's the main thing I need to do."

QUOTABLE

• Lawrence: "I just want to stay healthy. What bothers me is not being out there. I'm not really worried about any labels or tags or anything, I just want to be out there because I know I can impact the game and help us win games when I'm out there, and when I'm not, it's tough. It's not fun just sitting on the sideline and not being able to have an impact. I want to be healthy, I want to be out there, but not necessarily worried about what people think it."

NOTABLE

• Lawrence on Thursday said he has not spoken to Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaairsince Al-Shaair delivered a hit that helped end Lawrence's season in a 23-20 Texans victory at EverBank Stadium on December 1. Lawrence, who was playing with a shoulder injury sustained three weeks before in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, sustained a concussion on the play and was placed on injured reserve because of the shoulder injury three days later. Lawrence, speaking to the media Thursday for the first time since the play, said the incident "is something I've kind of wanted to move on from. I'm trying to stay away from the whole deal. It's a tough situation. Part of you is like, 'It would be nice to reach out,' but I know he's got his own stuff going on." Al-Shaair was suspended for three games following the incident. "I know guys who know him," Lawrence said. "Everyone says he's a great guy. I don't know him personally. I don't think the hit was right, but I also think if he knew that was going to happen, he wouldn't do it. I would hope no person would do that if they knew the end result. I don't think he's maliciously trying to do that to somebody, I just think he went a little overboard with that and trying to be physical and obviously, he was suspended for a while and paid the price for that."