Travis Hunter undergoes season-ending knee surgery

Considering Hunter’s injury sequence — on a noncontact play at practice — and his importance to this Jaguars regime’s mission, this shutdown is not too surprising. The 2024 Heisman winner is under contract through 2028, and barring the two-way player entering full-on bust territory, the deal will run through 2029 once his fifth-year option is exercised. Jacksonville will take a big-picture approach at this stage of the former college phenom’s pro career.

With a lengthy rehab process ending Hunter’s rookie season, his NFL debut will go down as a disappointment. The Colorado product finishes the year with 28 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown. He finishes Year 1 with a 67 percent snap share on offense and a 34 percent participation rate on defense.

The Jags steadily used Hunter more on defense, where many thought he should end up as a pro. Jacksonville, however, was among the franchises that viewed Hunter as a better receiver. GM James Gladstone declared that would be the 6-foot-1 prospect’s primary position, and coming out of the team’s bye week, buzz about Hunter seeing a bigger offensive role emerged. The injury nixed those plans.

A six-month recovery timetable would move Hunter on track for a minicamp cameo, though it would not surprise to see the Jags exercise caution and give him an on ramp toward a training camp reemergence. It will be interesting to see if the team’s usage plans for Hunter change in 2026, given his struggles to make an impact this season. The team did not begin using Hunter on both sides of the ball in the same workouts until training camp last year, and his in-game cornerback participation spiked in Week 2.

Hunter’s best stat line came in a London loss to the Rams before the Jags’ bye, as he caught eight passes (on 14 targets) for 101 yards and his first career touchdown. But the Rams had set a blowout game script in place by the time the Trevor Lawrence-Hunter connection got going. Considerable work is ahead for that duo, but the Jags certainly remain high on a player that cost them their 2026 first-round pick to acquire. The duo’s next chance to work together on the field will come during OTAs — at the earliest.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.