Gene Frenette: Trevor Lawrence would benefit from elite QB like Lamar Jackson in AFC South

Indianapolis Colts’ owner Jim Irsay says the franchise won’t completely shut the door on trading for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, unlikely as it seems given the draft capital and money required to secure his services.

But if that were to happen, or the Tennessee Titans made a move — they are reportedly exploring a trade for Jackson — the Jaguars’ response from players and even the fan base should be this: Bring it on.

Sure, Jackson, who has requested a trade and is reportedly at an impasse trying to negotiate a contract extension, would give the Colts instant credibility and a much better chance of competing for the AFC South title. But that’s no reason for the Jaguars, the 2023 division favorite, to be apprehensive of twice-a-year confrontations with the 2019 league MVP.

Gene's 3 previous columns

Rising Hurricane Bishop Kenny grad Jasmyne Roberts of Miami emerges from NCAA shadows

Nothing personal: Arden Key leaving for the Titans not about disrespect, but business

High marks: Without spending big, Jaguars playing free agency just right

As things stand now, the Jaguars will have to face Jackson next season anyway if he stays in Baltimore, then maybe twice every three years on average over the next decade as long as he doesn’t move out of the AFC.

With an ascending Trevor Lawrence moving closer to the league’s upper crust of quarterbacks, there’s actually an upside to having another elite guy at that position within the AFC South. It’s a good thing for Lawrence to be challenged as much as possible in the regular season because the Jaguars’ intended future goal — sustained postseason success — can be helped along by Trevor facing those big head-to-head QB battles.

Peyton Manning, during his nine-year run in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts, certainly benefitted from being pushed by late Tennessee Titans quarterback and league co-MVP, Steve McNair. So it’s quite possible Lawrence could gain an edge by Jackson going to Indy or one of the 2023 drafted QBs emerging as a star somewhere in the division.

When Manning was with the Colts, he only went 4-8 against Tom Brady, but it’s undeniable he was a better QB because of that rivalry. Manning eventually got the best of his biggest rival in the 2006 AFC Championship game, right before Indy’s only Super Bowl victory.

Whether it’s Jackson or somebody else, Lawrence would likely improve at a faster rate facing other quarterbacks of equal or greater stature. The more that happens, both in regular season and the playoffs, the more likely the Jaguars will benefit.

There’s no reason for the Jaguars to shy away from Lamar Jackson or any elite quarterback. That’s what brings out the greatness in almost all of the best ones.

QB murderer’s row

The Jaguars won’t have to face Aaron Rodgers in 2023 if he goes to the New York Jets, but they will encounter more than their share of high-profile quarterbacks.

The Jaguars’ defense is scheduled to go up against Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns) and Jackson, at least for now. It could also square off against the No. 1 overall draft pick, depending on whether the Carolina Panthers start a rookie QB.

Those five veteran quarterbacks have a combined career QB rating of 99.77 against the Jaguars and own a 14-2 record. The only Jaguars wins came with Lawrence at home over Allen (9-6 in 2021) and over Jackson, 28-27, last season.

NCAA Tournament trivia

With Florida schools FAU and Miami both making the Final Four, can you name the three other pairs of teams from the same state who have reached the same tournament stage in the last 45 years? Answer at the bottom.

Listen Now! Miami, FAU experts break down Saturday night's Final Four games

Calais flies with Falcons

It would have been a nice finishing touch to Calais Campbell’s career to end it with the Jaguars, but the 36-year-old defensive lineman did what many players do as free agents: he went for more money and greater anticipated playing time.

The Jaguars had hoped Campbell would circle back to them after he came here on a free-agent visit. But the ex-Jaguar decided to end his NFL tour and signed a one-year deal with Atlanta, which sorely needed pass-rush help after finishing last and next-to-last in that category the past two seasons. I'm told the $7 million guaranteed contract he received from the Falcons was nowhere near the money where the Jaguars valued him at this point in his career.

Campbell, with 99 career sacks, desperately wants to get to 100 because he feels it’s an important milestone to build a Hall of Fame resume. Campbell is one of the most popular players in Jaguars history and was a huge part of the 2017 playoff run, but at his age, losing him to Atlanta is a setback, not a devastating blow.

Gators’ receiver dropoff

The 2023 class for the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes Raines High product Jabar Gaffney among the inductees, which is a reminder of how difficult it has been for the Gators to produce elite receivers the past couple of decades.

Gaffney, the last freshman All-America receiver at Florida, produced back-to-back, 1,000-yard seasons in 2000 and ‘01, and the only receiver to hit that milestone since then was Taylor Jacobs (1,088 yards) in 2002. In 24 career games, Gaffney had 2,375 yards and 27 touchdowns, an amazing run of production where he averaged 17.2 yards per catch.

The only UF receivers since to approach Gaffney’s numbers for just one season was Kadarius Toney (70 catches, 984 yards, 10 TDs) in 2020 and Dallas Baker (60 catches, 920 yards, 10 TDs) in 2006.

A global calling

Former Sandalwood High and Titans quarterback Rusty Smith, the first Jacksonville native to start an NFL game at the position, has been a high school football coach at Grace Christian Academy outside Nashville since leaving the NFL after the 2012 season.

But Smith is about to undergo a major career change, taking his wife, Nicole, and four sons (ages 2-9) to be a full-time missionary family for African Inland Mission (A.I.M.) in Nairobi, Kenya in July. Smith, the first player from FAU to ever be drafted, made his only NFL start by replacing the injured Vincent Young in November, 2010, against the Houston Texans in a 20-0 loss.

Ospreys facing more attrition 

Besides losing top scorer Carter Hendricksen to expired eligibility, University of North Florida basketball coach Matthew Driscoll will likely have to replace 6-foot-9 freshman forward Jonathan Aybar and 6-10 freshman Jadyn Parker, both of whom have put their names in the transfer portal.

Aybar, who averaged 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 rebounds and started 16 games, and Parker departing would put a significant dent in the Ospreys’ frontcourt depth. Driscoll, who has three scholarships remaining, is hitting the transfer portal hard to fill those spots.

Quick-hitting nuggets

When the Jumbo Shrimp have their first homestand starting Tuesday against the Durham Bulls, former Bishop Kenny star Ben Gamel will be in the Bulls' outfield. Gamel, who played last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and four other MLB teams in six previous seasons, signed with the Tampa Rays organization in February. Gamel hit .255 with 8 home runs and 26 RBI in 111 games for the Pirates.

The NFL proposing to flex Thursday Night Football games and raise the maximum games teams can play to two per season would be a ridiculous inconvenience for everybody, including fans who make travel plans to games that might be flexed out. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league simply can’t argue how much it cares about player safety, then ask any team to play a second game on three days rest.

Playing NFL games on Thursday has always been a money grab with no regard for the players’ welfare. But owners love padding their bank accounts too much for it to go away. Now the league wants some teams to play more games on short rest. It’s unquestionably a blatant disregard for player health.

Geographic anomaly: Miami’s basketball roster has no players from the state of Florida. The closest player to the Sunshine State is star Jordan Miller from Middleburg, Va. FAU has five players from Florida, the closest to the Jacksonville area being 6-foot-9 freshman forward Brenan Lorient from Ocala Forest High.

One of the bigger transfer portal recruiting battles will be Florida going up against new St. John’s coach Rick Pitino for 6-foot-2 Iona guard Walter Clayton Jr., who averaged 16.8 points and shot 43 percent from three-point range for the Gaels. Clayton, who played for Pitino at Iona, took an official visit to Florida last weekend and plans to visit St. John’s after the Final Four.

NCAA trivia answer

Since 1978, the only schools from the same state to reach the Final Four before FAU and Miami were Duke and North Carolina last year and in 1991 when Duke won the first of five national titles under coach Mike Kryzyzewski, plus Louisville and Kentucky in 2012.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540 

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Lamar Jackson in AFC South would help, not hurt Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence