After missing a good chunk of his rookie season with a knee injury, Travis Hunter is doing his best to return to the Jacskonville Jaguars. But despite his prolonged absence from the football field, the former Heisman Trophy winner keeps drawing the spotlight. A recent filing is proof of it.
The NFLPA (the players' union) just released a list of licensing income from 2025. Sheddeur Sanders was the biggest earner at $17.7 million. Not bad for a fifth-round pick, right? Travis Hunter was second on the list with $12.8 million.
This goes on to show that Hunter's star power is real. With him close to being 100 percent, the buzz is going to only grow louder.
The Travis Hunter hype is soaring at Jaguars OTAs
There's no way to sugarcoat it. Travis Hunter's rookie campaign didn't go the way the Jaguars probably envisioned. Dubbed a sport-altering talent after going second overall in the 2025 draft, he got off to a slow start to his NFL career. And once the West Palm Beach, Florida native was beginning to hit his stride, an LCL injury brougth his season to an abrupt end. The good news is that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery and has put on some weight.
Heading into Year 2, Hunter is expected to see an uptick in playing time at cornerback after mainly logging snaps at receiver. This doesn't mean that the Jaguars are giving up on the two-way, but rather that he'll have a more well-rounded role.
The decision to have Hunter play defense full-time mainly stems from roster needs, as Jacksonville is stacked at receiver but needs reinforcements at cornerback. Still, he should benefit greatly.
Hunter spent more time learning the nuances of playing receiver in 2025 because of its complexity. On the other hand, he's yet to reach his ceiling as a corner, and he could play at an All-Pro level if he hones his skills on that side of the ball.
For this reason, the consensus projects Hunter to make a massive leap in Year 2.
The Jaguars need Travis Hunter to break through next season
The fact that the Jaguars traded up several draft picks, including a first and a second, to trade up for Travis Hunter most definitely puts pressure on them. Heck, because he had a quiet rookie season, they were heavily scrutinized. Then again, the former Colorado Buffalo showed enough promise before he suffered the knee injury to make you think that he might have finished 2025 strong if he had stayed healthy.
Now, Hunter gets to pick up where he left off, and based on his early showing at Organized Team Activities, he's on the right track.
Even though Travis Hunter didn't make a huge impact as a rookie, the licensing income proves that he drew plenty of interest. If he takes the expected leap in Year 2, that will only go up, as he'll get recognition not just in Jacksonville but the NFL as a whole.
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