The Jacksonville Jaguars have exercised the fifth-year option for the 2026 NFL season for defensive end Travon Walker, according to Tom Pelissero.
Walker was the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft by the Jaguars and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. As a first-round pick, the Jaguars had the ability to pick or decline Walker's fifth-year option for the 2026 season.
These contract amounts on fifth-year options are pre-determined based on a player's position, playing time, and any accolades. According to Over the Cap, Walker's contract for the 2026 season will now pay him $14.75 million guaranteed. A fifth-year option is a one-year deal.
The Jaguars exercising this option also doesn't stop them from extending Walker either. Those conversations, which have happened, according to head coach Liam Coen, can still continue moving forward.
“We’re having open conversations, and at the end of the day, we’ll continue to have those," Coen said via the Florida Times Union last week at the NFL's annual meeting.
Walker would total 59 pressures during the 2023 season and 56 pressures in 2024, which ranked 24th among all defensive ends, according to PFF. Walker also tallied the 14th-most run stops as well.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Travon Walker fifth-year option: Jaguars' exercise option for 2026
