Luke McCown

Trevor Lawrence operates in a different universe from Luke McCown's era. Lawrence, the franchise's future, has already thrown for more yards in three seasons than McCown managed in his entire Jaguars stint. McCown was a journeyman backup who made 10 NFL starts across five teams; Lawrence is building a potential Hall of Fame resume. It's less comparison than generational gap—one was trying to survive, the other's trying to dominate.

Luke McCown never made Canton and never will. With 2,370 career passing yards, nine touchdowns, and 15 interceptions across a 12-year NFL journey, he simply doesn't have the résumé. He was a reliable backup and journeyman, which is respectable work, but Hall of Fame voters need transcendent production. McCown's legacy lives elsewhere—he was inducted into Louisiana Tech's Hall of Fame in 2017.

McCown's transitioned into broadcasting and mentorship. He served as Louisiana Tech's sideline reporter in 2021-22 and recently joined ESPN+ as a color analyst for Bulldog football broadcasts in 2025. Beyond the booth, he's deeply involved in faith-based work and youth sports advocacy, discussing topics like specialization and character development on podcasts like Sports Spectrum. The guy's found his calling talking football rather than playing it.

Modern rules would've been kinder to McCown, but his arm talent still wouldn't cut it at starter level. Today's pass-happy offenses and softer defenses might've boosted his numbers, sure—maybe he hits 3,500 yards instead of 2,370. But he'd still be a backup in 2026, just a more statistically impressive one. Some skill sets are timeless limitations, and McCown's ceiling was always "competent game manager," not franchise quarterback.

Garrard absolutely dwarfs McCown in the Jaguars pecking order. Garrard's 33.13 rating versus McCown's 5.54 tells the whole story—one was a legitimate starter who led Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game, the other was emergency depth. Garrard gave Jaguars fans hope; McCown gave them a prayer they'd stay healthy. There's no real comparison here, just two different tiers of quarterback competence.