The Jacksonville Jaguars are busy making roster moves to get cap relief just before free agency. The next couple weeks, the team's brass will turn its focus to keeping as many of their own players from leaving and signing as many as they can. So while most of their attention will be centered around making the team better, they cannot forget about a crucial date on the NFL calendar.
Because free agency, and the draft get most of the spotlight, it's easy to forget that NFL clubs need to make decisions on the third-year of their first-round draft picks.
See, every player drafted in the round has a fifth-year option that must be exercised on the third year of their rookie contract. And if the deadline passes and the team declines the option, the player in question will become a free agent after four accrued seasons. The Jaguars will have one such decision to make this offseason.
The Jaguars need to decide whether they'll pick up the fifth-year option on Anton Harrison
Back in 2023, the Jaguars let Jawaan Taylor walk. Coming off a banner season, the former Florida Gator was going to command a top-market contract. The team simply didn't want to make a big investment in him, so they simply allowed him to test the open market, and he ended up signing a four-year deal worth $80 million. Things turned out just fine for Jacksonville.
While the Chiefs already cut ties with Taylor, the Jags found a more than capable replacement for him when they traded down to select Anton Harrison with the 27th overall pick of the 2023 draft. The former Oklahoma Sooner was a Week 1 starter. Although he struggled as a rookie, he also showed that he could be a long-term fixture of the offensive line.
However, you have probably heard that progress isn't linear, and that was true for Harrison, who took a step back in his sophomore campaign. Then, a new regime arrived in 2025 and quickly put the hog molly on notice.
During training camp, Harrison had to share first-team reps with journeyman Chuma Edoga. That might've been the motivation the Washington D.C. native needed to turn the corner, as he demonstrated notable improvement, giving up just one sack and 35 total pressures. On top of that, his Pro Football Focus overall grade of 73.2 set a new career-best.
Fast forward to 2026, and Harrison is giving general manager James Gladstone an easy decision.
Anton Harrison gives the Jaguars a crystal clear decision
The deadline to pick up fifth-year options will be May 1. That means the Jaguars will have ample time to exercise Anton Harrison's. When they do it, though, remains to be seen, but it will be a no-brainer. After all, it will only cost them $19.9 million for 2027. Moreover, it will give the team a bit of cushion to try to work out a long-term extension.
For the time being, Jacksonville doesn't have to worry about a Devin Lloyd kind of situation. As a refresher, the Jags declined Lloyd's option last year. He went to have a banner season and is slated to hit the open market. They won't have to worry about facing a similar situation when they exercise Harrison's option.
The Jaguars will bring back their five starters on the offensive line last year. That kind of continuity will help the group build off of their success. Picking up Anton Harrison's option will allow them to keep most of tha core together through 2027.