Gillingham in 2006 Like his older brother Ben, With the help of a member of the Millwall coaching staff, however, he was taken on by Kent-based club
Gillingham as a trainee. He came on as a 76th-minute substitute for
Richard Rose in a match which his team lost 3–1. Shortly before the end of the season he signed his first professional contract with the club when manager
Andy Hessenthaler gave him a three-year contract. In the
2004–05 season Jarvis became a regular in the Gillingham first team, playing in 30 Football League matches, although he was out of action for five weeks in January and February after undergoing an operation on a
hernia. He also scored his first goal for the club in a win over
Wolverhampton Wanderers on 30 October 2004. In the 2005–06 season he was again a regular, and scored seven goals, his best season tally to date. Jarvis rejected the contract offer, but later claimed via his agent that he would be happy to remain at
Priestfield Stadium if the club "demonstrated that it could match his ambitions". A number of
Premier League and Championship clubs showed interest in signing Jarvis, Towards the end of the season
Nottingham Forest of
League One made an offer of £650,000, hoping to circumvent the
transfer window by taking the player on
loan until the end of the season, but the bid was turned down by the player's agent. Jarvis ended the season having been named in the
PFA's League One Team of the Year, Gillingham's Young Player of the Season, and with
Charlton Athletic expressing their interest in him. However, Gillingham chairman
Paul Scally stated that he believed the player's agent had already agreed a transfer with another club. Scally also claimed that Jarvis had the potential to play for
England by the time he was 24.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Player of the Year award in 2011 Jarvis rejected a further improved contract offer by Gillingham, to join Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Championship in June 2007, signing a two-year contract with the option to extend his stay by a further year. The clubs agreed a transfer fee but the exact amount was not disclosed. Jarvis suffered hip and groin injuries during pre-season training and was unable to take any further part in training until September. He finally made his debut for his new club on 20 October 2007, when he came on as an 88th-minute substitute in a 2–0 home victory over Charlton Athletic. After regaining full fitness, he became a first-choice player at
Molineux, making a further 27 appearances during the
2007–08 season. in a season where the club missed out on a play-off place by virtue of goal difference. After a strong start to the following season for both club and player, Jarvis injured his
hamstring in the defeat to
Reading on 30 September 2008 and was expected to be out of action for approximately six weeks. He made his return in the 1–0 defeat to
Queens Park Rangers on 6 December, and remained a first choice player as the club won promotion to the Premier League as champions. and was once again a regular in the Wolves team during the
2010–11 season, scoring four Premier League goals, his highest tally for four seasons. Jarvis submitted a transfer request on 11 August 2012, after media reports linked West Ham United with the player. Wolves rejected several bids for the player, without naming the club involved. On 23 August, Wolves accepted an offer from West Ham of a reported, initial £7.5 million, rising to £10.75 million.
West Ham United in 2015 On 24 August 2012, Jarvis signed a five-year contract, with the option for an additional year, for a transfer fee which was a club record but was officially undisclosed. Jarvis made his debut for West Ham on 25 August in a 3–0 away defeat to
Swansea City. He scored his first goal for the club on 1 October, opening the scoring in a 2–1 win away to Queens Park Rangers at
Loftus Road.
Norwich City On 1 September 2015, Jarvis signed on a season-long loan for
Norwich City. Eleven days later, he scored his first goal for the club against
AFC Bournemouth in a 3–1 win. On 24 December 2015, Jarvis signed a permanent contract with Norwich, to take effect in the January transfer window, for a reported fee of £2.5 million. Jarvis started 12 games for the Canaries in the
2015–16 season, coming off the bench as a substitute another eight times. Nearing the end of the season Jarvis suffered a knee injury, which along with hamstring and hip injuries, would cause him to miss the entire
2016–17 season, with the exception of one appearance for the club's under-23 team in the
EFL Trophy. On 1 January 2019, Jarvis joined League One club
Walsall on loan until the end of the
2018–19 season. He was released by Norwich at the end of the season.
Woking Jarvis signed a deal with
Woking on 28 February 2020. On 29 February he scored his first goal for the club on his debut, in a league game against
Maidenhead United. On 7 July 2020, the club announced that Jarvis had extended his deal until the end of the 2020–21 season. On 30 May 2021, Jarvis announced his retirement from
football, ending his eighteen-year career. ==International career==