Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence have played together for eight years, with the two having spent three seasons together at Clemson and then five years with the Jacksonville Jaguars after both were selected by the franchise in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

This season, Etienne, and everyone else, saw Lawrence play some of the best ball of his career in his fifth NFL season. The franchise quarterback enjoyed a breakout campaign and lived up to the hype that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.

After years of battling injuries, enduring coaching changes, and facing “generational” prospect expectations, Lawrence had a career year while completing 60.9 percent of his passes for 4,007 yards and 29 touchdowns with 12 interceptions over 17 games during the regular season. He also rushed for 359 yards and nine more scores, ranking third in the NFL in total touchdowns (38) behind only the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and the Bills’ Josh Allen.

Lawrence was especially stellar down the stretch of the regular season. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December and the final regular season game on Jan. 4, after going 105-of-165 passing for 1,371 yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception in his team’s final five games, while also rushing for 124 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries over those contests.

So, looking ahead, what is the next step for Lawrence after all the success he experienced this season?

Etienne had a colorful response when he was asked that question while meeting with the media after the Jaguars’ 2025 season concluded with a 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.

Etienne believes confidence is the key for Lawrence taking his game to another level next season.

“I would say the biggest thing for him is just let his n— hang, I guess. Just be cocky, stop caring what people think,” Etienne said. “Just don’t give a damn, you’re the man. Just go out there and be yourself, make plays and just play fearlessly with reckless abandon.”

Lawrence and Etienne helped the Jaguars win their final eight regular season games en route to their first division title and first playoff appearance since 2022. A year after winning only four games in 2024, Jacksonville finished with 13 wins this season, its most since 1999.

Together at Clemson from 2018-20, Etienne and Lawrence helped the Tigers win three ACC titles, make three College Football Playoff appearances and win the national title in 2018.

It remains to be seen if Etienne and Lawrence will remain together in Jacksonville’s backfield. Before the 2024 season, Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with Jacksonville, but Etienne is slated to become a free agent this upcoming offseason. However, the Jaguars could still potentially reach a deal with Etienne in the coming weeks to keep him off the free-agent market.

–Photo courtesy of Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images