Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Anton Harrison (77) takes the field prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

3 Observations on Jaguars' Anton Harrison's 5th-Year Option

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Mar 30, 2026 6:32 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have made it clear where they stand on former first-round pick Anton Harrison.

Harrison, the Jaguars' first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, is set to enter a pivotal fourth season. But before that begins, the Jaguars have made a non-official decision on his fifth-year option as Jaguars general manager James Gladstone announced this week the team intends to pick the option up. So, what do we make of the news?

This was the obvious call from the jump

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Simply put, this was always the move the Jaguars were going to make. Starting offensive tackles do not grow on trees, and Harrison is a young and ascending one who truly has still not started to even scrape his potential. After the improvements he made last year, this might be one of the easier decisions the James Gladstone front office makes.

Harrison's projected option cost is set to be just over $19 million, which means the team gets him for, at minimum, two more seasons under a relative cost controlled price considering what Harrison would make -- and will eventually get -- when it comes to a new deal. This is just good business.

Jaguars have a lot of future deals ahead

Travis Register-Imagn Images

Not a fan of the Jaguars being passive in free agency? Well, you might need to get used to it. The Jaguars have even bigger deals coming down the road than they had over the course oft he 2025 season and start of 2026 offseason, and Harrison is just one of them. Thanks to the option, though, this one will probably be paid out last.

But add in Travon Walker and fellow 2023 draft picks like Brenton Strange, Antonio Johnson, and Parker Washington and the Jaguars have five legit starters who deserve big pay-days. It is hard to see the Jaguars letting any of them walk at this point.

Harrison deserves a lot of credit

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Perhaps the biggest takeaway of all is that Harrison deserves all the credit in the world when the Jaguars do actually trigger his option. There was a real time a year ago when it was a genuine question whether Harrison would not only be a long-term piece, but even a short-term one. Liam Coen never minced words on how far Harrison needed to come, and he responded.

There were several players the Jaguars publically and privately challenged last season. More than a few of them spent very little time with the franchise during the regular season. Harrison, though, embraced it and came out on the other side better for it. Not all the players who faced a similar situation can say that.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: