I think you can make an argument that they could've waited a year. But what would you have to pay him then? Likely a lot more since the Jags are an improving team.
I just think there would be an absolute feeding frenzy if a QB like Lawrence hit the open market. The guy's only 24 years old, played only 3 seasons, the 1st of which was pretty bad, but it was a terrible 3-14 team. I mean, the whole reason they were able to draft Lawrence #1 overall is because they were 1-15 the year before. Since then, they've put a little more talent around him and they've had back-to-back winning seasons with a division title and Lawrence throwing for over 4,000 yards in each.
I think his potential 2, 4, 10 years down the road is enormous. And that's what they're paying for.