Lawrence, who was already dealing with a sprained AC joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, suffered a concussion late in the first half of the team’s 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was suspended three games for hitting Lawrence in the head while sliding at the end of a 6-yard scramble.
The concussion is the sixth injury Lawrence has suffered since Week 6 of the 2023 season: he also had to deal with another concussion, two shoulder injuries, a knee injury and an ankle injury. He missed just one game last season, but missed two this season before being placed on IR on Wednesday.
Lawrence must miss at least four games and the Jaguars (2-10) have five remaining, so this likely means Lawrence’s fourth season is over. It also means Lawrence could undergo corrective surgery on his shoulder as soon as he recovers from the concussion.
Lawrence injured his left shoulder in the first half of the Jaguars’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 3, but he didn’t miss a play and nearly led the Jaguars to a comeback victory until he threw an interception in the end zone with 1:38 remaining.
He missed the next two games but returned to practice on Nov. 25 and wanted to get back on the field. He did not rule out undergoing surgery on the shoulder that is not suitable for throwing. He started against the Texans and completed 4 of 10 passes for 41 yards with one interception before suffering a concussion with 4:20 left in the first half.
Mac Jones, who threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in relief of Lawrence, will be the starter moving forward. Jones started two games in place of Lawrence after the shoulder injury and the Jaguars managed just 313 combined yards and scored a combined 13 points in losses to Minnesota and Detroit.
CJ Beathard will be Jones’ backup. The Jaguars signed journeyman John Wolford to the practice squad on Tuesday.
Lawrence threw for 2,045 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions and completed 60.6% of his passes in 10 games. He signed a five-year contract extension in June worth $265 million. It includes a $37.5 million signing bonus and $142 million fully guaranteed.
To fill Lawrence’s spot on the roster, the Jaguars signed veteran catcher Josh Reynolds, 29, off waivers. The Denver Broncos waived him on Tuesday.
Reynolds, who has 232 receptions for 3,116 yards and 20 touchdowns in eight seasons with four teams, will help a depleted receiving corps that has lost starters Christian Kirk (broken collarbone) and Gabe Davis (knee) for the season since the October 27.
