Trevor Lawrence is entrenched as the Jaguars’ starter of the present and future given the $55MM-per-year extension he signed this offseason. It remains to be seen which quarterback will begin the season as his backup, though. 
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C.J. Beathard has been with Jacksonville for the past three seasons, making 13 appearances and one start (in place of an injured Lawrence in 2023) during that span. The 30-year-old beat out Nathan Rourke for the QB2 gig last offseason in advance of starting his two-year contract. While he is still on the books for 2024, Beathard has competition once again.
The Jags acquired Mac Jones via trade in March after the Patriots elected to move in a different direction under center. The Jacksonville native showed promise during his rookie season, earning a Pro Bowl nod. In the two years after that, however, Jones struggled mightily and it came as no surprise when he was dealt. A change of scenery could help rebuild his value as he approaches the final year of his rookie contract.
“It has been really close honestly,” head coach Doug Pederson said of the ongoing competition between the two passers (via John Oehser of the team’s website). “The addition of Mac was great for that room. It was great for C.J. Both those guys have really embraced the challenge. We’ve been upfront with both of them and explained exactly how camp was going to go and really both of them I think are within three or four reps of having a 50-50 split right down the middle. So, it’s been good. It’s been good competition.”
Pederson added that Lawrence will not play during the Jaguars’ preseason game against the Buccaneers on Saturday. That decision will leave plenty of reps available for Beathard and Jones as they continue to vie for the backup gig. Teams are allowed an unlimited number of gameday elevations for players to dress as an emergency third quarterback in 2024, so many will likely only carry two passers on the 53-man roster.
Jones’ base salary ($2.79MM) is guaranteed in full, so cutting him would create a dead cap charge of the same amount. Moving on from Beathard, by contrast, would create $1.9MM in savings and incur only $500K in dead money. The play of both quarterbacks in the preseason will of course be a key factor in Jacksonville’s decision, but the financial implications will no doubt be taken into account as well.
Battle of the the busts I guess
Beathard wasn’t a top draft pick, he played his way into relevance with gritty play as a Niners backup.
He was a Shanahan pick, and he was awful when he played.
Beathard was never even considered remotely a starting caliber NFL QB. He was billed as a career backup even when he was drafted, definitely not a bust.
Clearly, you have some irrational disdain for Kyle Shanahan, and it is quite funny.
That doesn’t make him a bust. Some use the term way too loosely, just like “generational.”
Someone doesn’t understand the hit rate for third round draft picks
Actually, he played pretty well, especially considering the expectations he had, which were minimal.
No
Goosebump Alert! This might be the most exciting QB competition since the Raiders had Nathan Peterman and Mike Glennon battling it out for the honor of backing up Derek Carr.
I for one love a good QB2 competition. I think Jones wins it. Jones isn’t a bad QB. He isn’t great but he’s Def a capable backup.