Running back Tank Bigsby has been a revelation in his sophomore campaign. This has led to questions about Travis Etienne's future with the Jacksonville Jaguars beyond 2024. While Etienne was a key contributor the past two seasons, he'll enter a contract year in 2025, which in turn has made him a potential trade candidate. The Los Angeles Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers could be among the teams interested in his services. Heck, they wouldn't hesitate to acquire him right now if they could.
Devid Kenyon of Bleacher Report points out that teams in playoff contention don't have many appealing choices to fill holes at this point of the season. He goes on to wonder what players could garner interest if they were available via trade and thinks that Etienne would most definitely garner consideration from both the Bolts and San Francisco. Here's the skinny.
"Both the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers could use a jolt at running back, though, and Travis Etienne Jr. might not be with the Jacksonville Jaguars much longer.
Los Angeles has enjoyed a resurgent season from J.K. Dobbins, who totaled 900 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 appearances. Once again, however, an injury has sidelined him. In two games without Dobbins, the backfield has managed just 122 yards on 29 carries.
San Francisco, meanwhile, cannot keep anyone healthy. Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason are on injured reserve, and Isaac Guerendo exited his breakout game with a setback of his own."
The trade deadline was November 5, so neither San Francisco nor the Chargers could acquire Etienne even if they could. That said, both clubs could most definitely use the former Clemson Tiger.
The 49ers have been without Christian McCaffrey for most of the season, and without him, their offense has suffered a steep decline. On the other hand, Los Angeles could add insurance in case J.K. Dobbins doesn't return to the playoffs.
Dobbins landed on Injured Reserve with an MCL injury in Week 13, so he could come back for Week 17. That said, there's no guarantee he will, and Etienne could give the Chargers' offense a spark (no pun intended) in case he doesn't return.
For his part, Etienne has appeared in appeared in 12 games this season, toting the rock 113 times for 456 yards with two touchdowns. All things considered, those are solid numbers when you take into account that he's been dealing with injuries this season and has had to share the backfield with Bigsby.
If given the chance to featured back, Etienne would surely put up better numbers. He tallied over 1,400 yards from scrimmage each of the past two seasons and managed to cross the 1,000-yard mark in 2023 despite the fact that he frequently had nowhere to go and the team frequently abandoned the run.
The Jaguars would surely want to keep Travis Etienne but his future is uncertain
Travis Etienne's rookie contract runs through 2025 after the Jacksonville Jaguars exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. They would surely like to him once his contract expires but they may want to prioritize signing other players such as Andre Cisco or even Travon Walker, who'll be eligible for an extension after this season ends.
Add the fact that Tank Bigsby has turned out to be a production option out of the backfield, and Etienne could be gone in either 2025 or 2026. Now, Jacksonville would have no incentive to cut the Louisiana native next year, as he's slated to count a manageable $6 million against the cap. That said, there could be a team that may make him an offer they may not refuse.
This is a legitimate scenario when you take into account that there's a chance the Jags will move on from general manager Trent Baalke, who drafted Etienne. His potential replacement could then move on from the running back as would have no prior attachment to him.
Having said that, the Jaguars would most definitely benefit from having Travis Etienne around. Think about it, if opposing teams were interested in acquiring him, that's because he's a highly productive player, and why would Jacksonville want to part ways with such a player?