NFL Trade Rumors
Jaguars HC Liam Coen gave an interesting response when asked if the team still planned to try and have first-round WR/CB Travis Hunter play two ways full-time in 2026 when he returns from his injury.
Coen said it’s too early to say one way or another but notably didn’t commit to that remaining the plan for Hunter.
“I understand there’s a lot of questions about if he’ll remain a two-way player and all those kind of things,” Coen said via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. *“*All of that is very premature and at the end of the day, like every player on this roster, he’ll be evaluated at the end of the season and we’ll be able to give him his three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on.
“But right now our complete focus is on the chargers and getting a must need to win on Sunday.”
Hunter had season-ending surgery to repair the LCL ligament in his knee this week. It was a tough blow for him and the team, as they had been starting to increase his role on offense only for him to go down in practice.
After giving up a massive trade package to move up for Hunter and talking about how he could redefine the sport, the Jaguars never seemed like they found the best way to utilize him. He played 324 snaps on offense and 162 snaps on defense, but had a limited impact either way.
It sounds like the Jaguars are at least open to re-evaluating the best way to proceed with Hunter and maximize their investment going forward.
“I definitely think the whole process, the whole thing’s been a learning experiment,” Coen said. “But getting to know the person has obviously been the most important thing and the type of competitor, the way that he learns, the way that he competes, the way that he practices, that stuff that we’ve been able to gain valuable information on and be able to use moving forward and actually put in a continued practice.”
Hunter, 22, was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class and originally committed to Florida State. Hunter later flipped his commitment to Jackson State to play for legendary NFL CB Deion Sanders, becoming the first five-star to sign with an HBCU.
After a season at Jackson State, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado in 2023. He was a two-way player as both a cornerback and wide receiver, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2024 for his efforts.
The Jaguars used the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Hunter. He signed a four-year, $46.65 million fully guaranteed contract with a $30.57 million signing bonus, paid entirely upfront.
In 2025, Hunter appeared in seven games for the Jaguars and caught 28 passes for 298 yards receiving and one touchdown. He also has 15 tackles, a fumble recovery and three pass...
