Travis Hunter as NFL MVP? Analyst Says There’s a Chance

Travis Hunter doesn’t play quarterback, at least not yet. And because his two-way contributions figure to limit his ability to play every snap on both sides of the ball, Offensive or Defensive Rookie of the Year could be difficult to earn. But don’t rule out one prestigious NFL honor he could achieve in 2025.

Along with Ja’Marr Chase, Baker Mayfield and several others, Hunter is a dark-horse MVP candidate according to senior writer Judy Battista.

“Perhaps the darkest of dark horses on this list,” Battista wrote Tuesday, “Hunter mans two positions, but neither is quarterback. Still, how do you ignore a player who could do something rarely seen in the NFL: play both ways and have a significant impact at both receiver and cornerback?

“Key to whether the reigning Heisman Trophy winner garners any votes will be how big his numbers at receiver are, and how much the Jaguars use him on defense.”

They’re using him more on defense as the offseason program concludes with this week’s mandatory minicamp. After introducing him to the NFL exclusively at wide receiver, Coen said he’s surprised at how seamlessly Hunter is able to transition to cornerback.

“I guess a little bit because it’s something you don’t see every day, right?” Coen said after the first mandatory minicamp practice Tuesday. “For him, though, it just seems pretty normal. I think what helps him kind of do things right a lot is that he’s so well-conditioned that from a mental-fatigue standpoint, it doesn't seem to occur all that much out here where he can kind of just run.”

And as for why Hunter seems to tap into boundless energy and run limitlessly, as coaches and players have remarked many times, Coen has a mile-high theory.

“He’s been in altitude for a few years now,” Coen said, referring to the 5,430-foot elevation of Boulder, Colo. “He is in very good physical shape when it comes to just being able to run all day. That’s something that, ultimately, once your legs start to go, the mind starts to go.

“You don’t really see that all that often with him. He just keeps going. So, that’s been exciting to see and he’s going to have to lean into that as he goes here and the reps start to go up and he starts to play maybe offense and defense on the same day, which will occur in training camp.”

Training camp begins in little more than a month, when rookies report on July 18. Coen and his two coordinators, Grant Udinksi (offense) and Anthony Campanile (defense) will use the downtime to map out Hunter’s reps during those practices.

Those practices will begin an exciting storyline, something the league hasn’t seen in the Super Bowl era. And even if Hunter played exclusively offense or defense, winning the MVP at any position other than quarterback is a 5,430-foot climb.

Quarterbacks have won the NFL MVP in 12 straight years, since running back Adrian Peterson earned the honor in 2012. Over a longer stretch, 17 of the past 18 awards have gone to quarterback. The only NFL player ever to win MVP as a rookie was Hall of Famer Jim Brown in 1957.

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