‘He Earned the Extension’: Why Bringing Back Roy Robertson-Harris Was a Jaguars' No-Brainer

Retaining core pieces is of the utmost importance to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Roy Robertson-Harris was one of them, making re-signing him a point of interest before free agency officially opens up on March 15th.

The Jaguars did just that, with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reporting that the two sides were able to agree on a three-year extension worth $30 million.

The six-year veteran started in all 17 games in 2022, posting multiple career highs including tackles (45), tackles for loss (7) and quarterback hits (12), proving to be one of the Jaguars' most valuable defenders in a second-half push that propelled them into the AFC playoff picture.

Robertson-Harris’s contributions in a contract year made it an easy decision for Jaguars brass, with general manager Trent Baalke indicating to members of the media that the extension was well deserved.

“Well, first of all, they’re hard to find,” Baalke said yesterday at the NFL combine. “The big guys that can play the game are hard to find. And Roy [Robertson-Harris] deserved it. He earned the contract. He earned the extension. 

"And that’s the important thing is we didn’t give him that, he earned it and I think that’s something to keep in mind as we move forward. And, you know, we want to reward our guys. We want to build this organization through a core group of guys and Roy is one of those guys.”

The re-signing of Robertson-Harris further pushes the Jaguars' desire to keep talent home and build a culture that players want to be a part of. For Baalke and the Jaguars brass, this is a hard obstacle to clear but one that is slowly moving in the right direction.

“When you have an environment and a culture where they want to be a part of it, that’s a big hurdle to get over,” Baalke said. “And maybe that hasn’t been the case here in Jacksonville for some time but I think we’re moving that direction where, you know, it’s a great community, we all live there, we all understand what we’re dealing with. It’s a great community, it’s a great place to raise a family, and the tip, let's be honest, the tax situation doesn’t hurt, right? That’s part of it. You’ve already heard players already at free agency talking about that.”