Extension season is officially underway in Jacksonville. With the Jaguars locking up tight end Brenton Strange on a three-year contract extension this week, the spotlight has naturally shifted to the other players on the roster heading into contract years. And while wide receiver Parker Washington figures to be the name most frequently mentioned in those conversations, there is another player quietly making one of the strongest cases for a new deal on this entire roster, one who plays a position
that rarely gets the attention it deserves: Ezra Cleveland.
Check the Tape
Jacksonville acquired the left guard from the Minnesota Vikings during the 2023 season, sending a sixth-round pick back to Minnesota in exchange. The early returns were complicated, as injuries limited Cleveland through his first half-season in a Jaguars uniform, and questions followed him into 2024. But over the past two seasons, Cleveland has done something quietly valuable in an era where offensive line stability is increasingly hard to find: he has been exactly who Jacksonville needed him to be, making his 2024 three-year, $28.5 million contract extension seem like a bargain in 2025. His $8 million per year average salary is 28th of all guards and 10 spots behind 2025 free agent guard Patrick Mekari who’s average is $12.5M per year.
Among all 81 qualified guards, Pro Football Focus ranked 2025 Ezra Cleveland:
- 27th overall with a grade of 68.5
- 18th in pass blocking at 71.4, and
- 37th in run blocking at 64.6.
He logged 1,057 snaps on the season, the 15th most amongst left and right guards combined, while committing just three penalties all year. On 650 pass rush snaps, the 12th highest total at his position, Cleveland surrendered just 24 pressures, resulting in a pressure rate of 3.69 percent. For a player at a position that rarely earns headlines, those are the numbers of someone who has quietly been among the more reliable guards in the conference.
Cleveland also brings with him the benefit of having the versatility to also perform as an emergency swing tackle after playing admirably in his first career start at left tackle against Myles Garrett in 2023, when filling in for an injured Walker Little.
The Competition Knocking at the Door
The Jaguars selected Wyatt Milum in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and followed that investment up by taking Emmanuel Pregnon in the third round of 2026.
Both picks signal organizational belief in the future of the interior offensive line, and both create a cloud of uncertainty over Cleveland’s long-term place in Jacksonville. Whether intentional or not, the message the draft capital sends is difficult to ignore: the Jaguars are building toward something at the guard position, and Cleveland may be the bridge rather than the destination.
That may be unfair. In fact, by the numbers, it could be flat out wrong. Cleveland has performed as well as, and in some areas better than, what most teams receive from the guard position. His competition for a roster spot arrives in the form of two rookies whose readiness for a starting role at the NFL level remains an open question. Guard is not a position where young players typically walk in and immediately perform at a high level, and the cost of getting it wrong on the interior offensive line has a way of rippling through an entire offense.
The Extension Question
Brenton Strange just got paid. Parker Washington is widely assumed to be next. And somewhere in that conversation, the interior offensive line, specifically the left guard who has quietly been one of Jacksonville’s most consistent offensive performers over the past two seasons, is not receiving nearly enough attention.
The argument for extending Cleveland is straightforward. He has been durable, consistent, and penalized at one of the lower rates at his position. He protects the blindside, has performed in the running game, and has provided consistency and stability to give Jacksonville’s quarterback confidence. And unlike Washington, whose upside is real, but whose role in the offense still carries question marks, Cleveland’s value is known, proven, and immediately available.
The argument against an early extension is equally honest. Guard has historically not been treated as a premium position in NFL contract discussions. Milum and Pregnon represent genuine mid-round investment at the spot, and carrying Cleveland’s extension alongside that draft capital asks the front office to bet on a player they may already be planning to replace.
Actions Indicate Intent
Parker Washington’s extension conversation and Ezra Cleveland’s are not the same discussion, but they may be happening at the same time, with the same limited resources, and for a front office that cannot prioritize everything at once. Which player Jacksonville moves on first will say something meaningful about how this organization views its offensive identity heading into 2026 and beyond.
Extending Washington first suggests the Jaguars are building around the passing game and trusting the young interior line to grow into the roles ahead. Extending Cleveland first signals that this front office values the foundation of the run game and interior protection above the upside of a receiver still proving his ceiling. Neither answer is wrong. But one of them could be more telling than it might initially appear.
The Hidden Value in Inaction
Additionally, the possibility of not extending either player until after the 2026 season is also a possible outcome. However, the risk of losing either player to free agency subsequently increases. But, if the 2025 off-season taught us anything, losing high value players at less-premium positions could be the plan for this regime that keys on compensatory picks. Allow the contract to expire, allow the player to prove their top of the market worth in 2026, and collect a day two or three pick in 2028. That process produced Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne playing on opposing sidelines this preseason.
So, assuming general manager James Gladstone wraps up at least one more extension prior to week 1, which player is up next in Jacksonville? Parker Washington? Ezra Cleveland? A surprise option in Antonio Johnson or Ventrell Miller? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
