Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen looks to the video scoreboard with wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Crushing Travis Hunter News Means for Jaguars

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 11:17 AM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars were dealt a massive blow this week, with Jaguars head coach Liam Coen announcing Friday that star rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is heading to injured reserve with a non-contact knee injury he suffered on Thursday.

Coen would not put a timeline on Hunter's status, but he seemed despondent about the injury when asked whether Hunter could be considered an option to return later in the year. While noncommittal on anything related to his injury, the vibe around Friday's press conference was certainly a negatively jarring one.

Coen on Hunter

"Travis Hunter was injured during practice on Thursday. He will be placed on IR here shortly, will miss at least four games. We're currently assessing the injury just to determine the best course of action moving forward for Travis and for the team," Coen said.

"You just, you know, feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for our team, for everything, but you know, he's in good spirits right now, and minor setback for a major comeback. You know, that's just the way it's got to be."

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What This Means For Jaguars

It certainly does not seem like this will be a short-term loss for the Jaguars. Hunter was set to take an expanded role on offense after a career-day vs. the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9. When asked if Hunter could return later in the year if the Jaguars are playing deep into January, Coen did not give much reason for optimism.

"That I don't know. You know, we're just, we're still assessing. We haven't gotten all of the information, this all kind of got going last night, you know when we got some information. So we're still waiting on further information to be able to determine how long it could," Coen said.

Travis Register-Imagn Images

With Hunter now sidelined indefinitely, the Jaguars have just four receivers on the 53-man roster. Three of those receivers (Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown, Tim Patrick) have been limited in practice this week, while the only healthy wideout is Parker Washington.

The Jaguars will now likely have to elevate a receiver from the practice squad to avoid being short-handed vs. the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. But beyond that, the Jaguars' offense just took a massive blow considering Hunter's trajectory and the fact he was the only member of the receiving unit who has not suffered from drops.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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