Doug Pederson said he hasn’t tried to give quarterback Trevor Lawrence much advice on how to live the good life since Lawrence signed a contract extension worth $275 million in June – a team-record amount.
But the Jacksonville Jaguars coach said Lawrence may “live and learn” after failing to comply with his request to fly to Lake Tahoe on a private jet in July to compete in the 2024 American Century Championship, in which both were participating.
Pederson said on the Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday that Lawrence’s desire to save some money and fly on a commercial airline backfired when his plane arrived in Reno, Nevada, and his golf clubs and his and his wife Marissa’s luggage were lost.
“Me and my family had the chance to fly there, and I told him he could fly private if he wanted to,” Pederson said on the show. “But he didn’t spend the extra money to fly private, even though he could have. He could have afforded a whole plane.”
Of course, frequent travelers know exactly what happened next.
“And sure enough, he arrives at Lake Tahoe, his golf clubs are lost, his luggage is lost,” Pederson said.
Pederson also put more pressure on Lawrence and his cross-country flight with his pregnant wife. Lawrence and his wife announced on June 27 that their first child is on the way.
“You’ve got a pregnant wife flying out there, and you’re flying across the country,” Pederson told Eisen. “You’re flying from Jacksonville to Reno and you’re losing your stuff. I mean, come on, Trevor.”
Eisen replied: “Life lessons… You have to be a man of the people and then you lose your clubs.”
Lawrence finished behind Pederson in Tahoe
Lawrence’s belongings, including his clubs, were found to be in custody. He ended up tied for 44th out of 90 players in the tournament, with Pederson tied for 38th. However, Lawrence beat his coach on the final day with 76 points to Pederson’s 80 points.
Pederson and Lawrence have not told the story in numerous media appearances during training camp, but we bet Lawrence will consider not listening next time.
