# List of Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterbacks
The starting quarterbacks of the [Jacksonville Jaguars](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-jaguars) are the players who have started at least one regular-season game at quarterback for the franchise since it entered the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) as an expansion team in 1995. The 2013 team media guide counted 15 different players who had started at quarterback in franchise history to that point.[1](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FJACJMG-2013-jacksonville-jaguars-media-guide.pdf) The longest-serving and statistically most productive of them is [Mark Brunell](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-brunell), who holds the franchise records for passing yards, completions, and touchdown passes.[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/JAX.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First starter | Steve Beuerlein, selected in the February 15, 1995 expansion draft; started six games in 1995[3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars) • [4](https://sports.yahoo.com/birth-jaguars-jacksonvilles-nfl-dream-210003240.html) |
| Longest tenure | Mark Brunell, nine seasons (1995-2003), 117 starts, 63-54 record, 3 Pro Bowls, 85.4 passer rating[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661) |
| Franchise passing records | Brunell: 25,698 passing yards, 2,184 completions, 144 touchdown passes, 22 300-yard games, and the only two 400-yard passing games in team history[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/JAX.pdf) |
| First-round drafted starters | Byron Leftwich (2003), Blaine Gabbert (2011, 10th overall), and Blake Bortles (2014, third overall)[6](https://www.jaguars.com/news/defending-a-rookie-quarterback-5843797) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661) • [7](https://as.com/us/nfl/trevor-lawrence-firma-extension-con-los-jacksonville-jaguars-n/) |
| Best team season by a starter | Blake Bortles, 2017: 10-6, first division title since 1999, and an AFC Championship Game appearance[8](https://as.com/us/us/2019/07/02/nfl/1562099476_713183.html) |
| Current starter | Trevor Lawrence, first pick of the 2021 draft, entering his sixth season as the starter in 2026[9](https://www.jaguars.com/news/the-53-breaking-down-the-jaguars-roster) |
| Peak season by total touchdowns | Lawrence, 2025: franchise-record 38 touchdowns, 29 passing and 9 rushing, in an AFC South championship season[10](https://www.jaguars.com/news/k000589-2026-offseason-jaguars-quarterbacks) |
## Expansion season, 1995: Beuerlein and Brunell
The Jaguars selected veteran Steve Beuerlein as their first quarterback in the expansion draft on February 15, 1995.[4](https://sports.yahoo.com/birth-jaguars-jacksonvilles-nfl-dream-210003240.html) On the eve of that year's NFL Draft, head coach [Tom Coughlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-coughlin) and the team made the first trade in franchise history, sending third- and fifth-round picks to the [Green Bay Packers](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-bay-packers) for backup Mark Brunell, a 1993 fifth-round pick out of the University of Washington who had appeared in just two games and thrown 27 passes in two seasons behind [Brett Favre](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-favre).[3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars)
**Brunell took over during the first season.** Beuerlein started six games in 1995, but Brunell replaced him in the fourth quarter of week four, coming off the bench to rally the Jaguars to their first-ever win, and had become the starter by the fifth game of the season.[11](https://www.jaguars.com/news/brunell-remembers-roots-5849563) • [3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars) Brunell started 10 games that year for the 4-12 team, completing 201 of 346 passes (58.1 percent) for 2,168 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.[3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars)
## The Brunell era, 1996-2003
From 1996 through 1999 the Jaguars went 45-19, made four playoff appearances, won two division championships, and reached two AFC Championship Games, with Brunell as the starter throughout.[3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars) In 1996 he completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 4,367 yards, a career high and the most in the league, as Jacksonville reached its first postseason and won road playoff upsets at Buffalo and Denver before falling in the AFC title game.[3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars) • [12](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/jacksonville-jaguars-top-5-quarterbacks-of-all-time/) In the divisional-round win at Denver, Brunell threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns, and his 29-yard fourth-quarter scramble set up a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Smith that helped clinch the major upset.[13](https://www.jaguars.com/team/history/pride-of-the-jaguars/mark-brunell/) • [17](https://www.jaguars.com/news/jags-20th-jaguars-make-history-14052541)
Brunell led the Jaguars in passing in each of the franchise's first eight seasons, the longest such streak of any franchise's quarterback, surpassing Seattle's Jim Zorn (1976-82), and he led the team to 67 of its first 72 victories including playoffs.[14](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FJACJMG-2003-jacksonville-jaguars-media-guide.pdf) His tenure ended in 2003, when he started three games before being benched for [Byron Leftwich](https://www.edgepedia.org/byron-leftwich), and he was traded to Washington for a third-round pick after the season.[3](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars) He finished with 117 starts and a 63-54 record as the Jaguars' starter.[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661)
## Leftwich, Garrard, and the middle years, 2003-2011
Byron Leftwich, drafted in the first round in 2003, was the last rookie to start at quarterback for the Jaguars as of the 2011 draft; before selecting [Blaine Gabbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/blaine-gabbert) 10th overall in 2011, the franchise had drafted only four quarterbacks, Rob Johnson (1995), Jonathan Quinn (1998), David Garrard (2002), and Leftwich (2003).[6](https://www.jaguars.com/news/defending-a-rookie-quarterback-5843797)
**David Garrard held the job longest in this period.** Garrard started 76 games for Jacksonville from 2002 to 2010, going 39-37 with one [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) selection and an 85.8 passer rating, slightly better than Brunell's 85.4.[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661) In 2007 he signed a seven-year contract worth $69.4 million, at that point only the second quarterback extension given by the franchise.[7](https://as.com/us/nfl/trevor-lawrence-firma-extension-con-los-jacksonville-jaguars-n/)
## The Bortles era, 2014-2018
[Blake Bortles](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-bortles), the third overall pick of the 2014 draft, went 24-49 in five years as Jacksonville's starter.[8](https://as.com/us/us/2019/07/02/nfl/1562099476_713183.html) His 2017 season was the high point: the Jaguars finished 10-6, won their first division title since 1999, and reached the [AFC Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-championship-game), where they lost and missed a trip to [Super Bowl LII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lii).[8](https://as.com/us/us/2019/07/02/nfl/1562099476_713183.html) • [5](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661) In 2018 he was briefly benched for Cody Kessler, lost the job outright in week 13, regained it by week 17, and was released the following offseason.[5](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661) Before the 2019 season the team signed Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles to a four-year, $88 million contract.[8](https://as.com/us/us/2019/07/02/nfl/1562099476_713183.html)
## Minshew and the transition, 2019-2020
[Gardner Minshew](https://www.edgepedia.org/gardner-minshew), a fifth-round pick in 2019, started in place of the injured Foles and went 7-13 in two seasons with the Jaguars, including 6-6 in 2019.[8](https://as.com/us/us/2019/07/02/nfl/1562099476_713183.html) • [15](https://as.com/us/us/2021/06/30/nfl/1625004543_801251.html) Jake Luton started three games in 2020 without a win, completing 54.5 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and six interceptions.[15](https://as.com/us/us/2021/06/30/nfl/1625004543_801251.html)
## The Trevor Lawrence era, 2021-present
[Trevor Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/trevor-lawrence), the first overall pick of the 2021 draft, took over as the starter as a rookie under head coach [Urban Meyer](https://www.edgepedia.org/urban-meyer). His first season ended at 3-14, the worst record in the NFL, with Lawrence throwing for 3,641 yards and 12 touchdowns while leading the league in interceptions.[16](https://as.com/us/nfl/quien-es-trevor-lawrence-el-qb-que-eligieron-los-jaguars-en-el-draft-de-la-nfl-2021-n/) Under Doug Pederson in 2022, his touchdowns doubled from 12 to 25 and his interceptions fell from 17 to eight, and he added 4,113 passing yards.[16](https://as.com/us/nfl/quien-es-trevor-lawrence-el-qb-que-eligieron-los-jaguars-en-el-draft-de-la-nfl-2021-n/) He signed a contract extension in 2024, becoming only the third Jaguars quarterback after Garrard and Bortles to receive one.[7](https://as.com/us/nfl/trevor-lawrence-firma-extension-con-los-jacksonville-jaguars-n/)
**The 2025 season was his most productive.** Lawrence started all 17 games for a 13-4 team that won the AFC South, the franchise's first division title since 2022, and set a franchise record with 38 total touchdowns, 29 passing and nine rushing, finishing third in the NFL in that category as an eight-game winning streak closed the regular season.[10](https://www.jaguars.com/news/k000589-2026-offseason-jaguars-quarterbacks) In 2026, he is in his sixth season as the Jaguars' starting quarterback, with Quinn Ewers, a 2025 draft pick acquired in a trade from Miami, as his backup.[9](https://www.jaguars.com/news/the-53-breaking-down-the-jaguars-roster)
## References
1. [Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide (2013), Starting Quarterbacks](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FJACJMG-2013-jacksonville-jaguars-media-guide.pdf)
2. [Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 Media Guide, All-Time Rosters: Starting Quarterbacks](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/JAX.pdf)
3. [John Shipley, "How Mark Brunell and the First Trade in Franchise History Shaped the Early Jaguars," Sports Illustrated (July 16, 2020)](https://www.si.com/nfl/jaguars/onsi/news/how-mark-brunell-first-trade-in-franchise-history-shaped-early-jaguars)
4. ["Birth of the Jaguars: How Jacksonville's NFL dream became reality in 1993," Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/birth-jaguars-jacksonvilles-nfl-dream-210003240.html)
5. ["AFC South franchise quarterbacks: Each team's greatest passer," NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/afc-south-franchise-quarterbacks-each-team-s-greatest-passer-0ap3000001031661)
6. ["Defending a rookie quarterback," Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/news/defending-a-rookie-quarterback-5843797)
7. ["Trevor Lawrence firma extensión con los Jacksonville Jaguars," Diario AS](https://as.com/us/nfl/trevor-lawrence-firma-extension-con-los-jacksonville-jaguars-n/)
8. ["Los mejores QBs de la temporada 2019 por equipo: 17-24," Diario AS](https://as.com/us/us/2019/07/02/nfl/1562099476_713183.html)
9. ["The 53: Breaking Down the Jaguars Roster," Jaguars.com (August 30, 2026)](https://www.jaguars.com/news/the-53-breaking-down-the-jaguars-roster)
10. [John Oehser and Bucky Brooks, "2026 Offseason: A Look at Jaguars' Quarterbacks," Jaguars.com (February 18, 2026)](https://www.jaguars.com/news/k000589-2026-offseason-jaguars-quarterbacks)
11. ["Brunell remembers roots," Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/news/brunell-remembers-roots-5849563)
12. ["Jacksonville Jaguars Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time," Pro-Football-Reference.com (March 2025)](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/jacksonville-jaguars-top-5-quarterbacks-of-all-time/)
13. ["Mark Brunell Biography, The Pride of the Jaguars," Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/team/history/pride-of-the-jaguars/mark-brunell/)
14. [Jacksonville Jaguars Media Guide (2003)](https://library.sfo2.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/football/yearbooks/FJACJMG-2003-jacksonville-jaguars-media-guide.pdf)
15. ["Los mejores quarterbacks de la NFL por equipo: 24-17," Diario AS](https://as.com/us/us/2021/06/30/nfl/1625004543_801251.html)
16. ["¿Quién es Trevor Lawrence, el QB que eligieron los Jaguars en el Draft de la NFL 2021?," Diario AS](https://as.com/us/nfl/quien-es-trevor-lawrence-el-qb-que-eligieron-los-jaguars-en-el-draft-de-la-nfl-2021-n/)
17. [Jags 20th: Jaguars Make History](https://www.jaguars.com/news/jags-20th-jaguars-make-history-14052541)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Records and substantive reference › Professional gridiron records and reference (NFL, CFL, arena)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license