Liam Coen Reveals the Next Step Jaguars' Anton Harrison Must Take

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have several key players who can be considered franchise cornerstones, and right tackle Anton Harrison is one of them.

The Jaguars' brass announced this week the team will approve Harrison's fifth-year option, guaranteeing him close to $19 million for the 2027 season. And now, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen knows the next step his young and ascending tackle must take.

anton harriso — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Anton Harrison (77) runs on the field before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7, capturing the AFC South title. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Harrison's Next Step

Harrison shone for the Jaguars in 2025, especially as the season went on. Coen and the Jaguars' staff made it clear from the jump that Harrison would need to improve in some critical areas, and improve he did. By the end of the season, Harrison stood out as the Jaguars' best pass-blocker and as a weapon in space on run plays and screens.

Now with the Jaguars showing clear plans to make a long-term commitment to the former first-round pick, it is clear his sky-high ceiling has yet to be hit. That, of course, is where Coen wants to see Harrison get next.

anton harrison — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Anton Harrison (77) asks a referee if is lined up correctly after getting penalized multiple times during the first half in an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I was pleased with his response to our arrival and some of those challenges that went with a few of those first few months specifically, and as we went throughout the season on a week-in-and-week-out basis, but there's not a lot he can't do athletically and physically," Coen said from the league meetings in Phoenix.

"So, I think that he is seeing a little bit more of the vision and pathway of, ‘Man I could do this for a long time and at a high level and make a lot of good money and help a team try to try to win as much as humanly possible,’ and hopefully we can take another step with that progression and that mindset and mentality this year and see an even better version of Anton as we continue to see.”

Simply put, Harrison has the talent to potentially be one of the highest-paid right tackles in all of football. Coen and the Jaguars' regime always saw the talent in the 2023 first-round pick, and last year they were able to see the buy-in and development.

If Harrison continues on the trajectory he is on, then his $19 million deal for 2025 very well could look like one of the biggest bargains on the entire team. Harrison is the future of the Jaguars' offensive line, and there is a real chance the Jaguars have their long-term bookends between him and Cole Van Lanen.

Look for bigger and better things out of Harrison in 2026, even after a strong third season. His ceiling is as high as anyone's on the Jaguars' offensive line, and he looks more than capable of reaching it.