Even before the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him second overall, the spotlight was on Travis Hunter because of his ability to play two ways at the collegiate level. Now, the 2024 Heisman Trophy is in a position to achieve a feat no player has achieved since NFL legend Jim Brown did more than 50 years ago.
Eric Edholm came up with a list of MVP candidates for each AFC team and picked Hunter for the Jags, pointing out that no rookie has won the award since Brown in 1957, but if someone can pull it off, it's him because of his ability to play on both offense and defense. Here's the skinny.
"Jim Brown is the only rookie to win an MVP award in NFL history, so I fully recognize how unlikely it would be for Hunter to become the first player in nearly 70 years to accomplish the feat," Edholm wrote. "The expectations for Hunter appear to already be unfairly high -- way above most rookies, including quarterbacks. Yet, if the two-way player can pull off the NFL equivalent to his 2024 season at Colorado, he might break the paradigm of what being a league MVP looks like."
For context, the former Colorado Buffalo hauled in 96 receptions for 1,258 yards with 15 touchdowns in 2024. On defense, he logged four interceptions and 11 passes defensed. On top of that, he gave up a 39.9 quarterback rating when targeted.
Edholm acknowledges that there may be some more deserving Jaguars candidates for the MVP award in 2025, but Hunter would nevertheless be an intriguing option to earn the accolade.
"It might take something like 900 receiving yards and 8-10 touchdowns on offense, I figure, plus four or more interceptions (and other big plays) on defense for Hunter even to enter the MVP discussion. He could be the longest of long shots, but Hunter is the most fascinating possibility here," Edholm argued.
As Edholm noted, Hunter is expected to play two ways as a rookie but may do it on a full-time basis because the Jags are stacked at both receiver and cornerback.
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There are other more deserving Jaguars candidates for MVP honors than Travis Hunter
There's no doubt that Travis Hunter will be an impact player for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he has a handful of things going against him to earn the MVP award in 2025. For starters, running back Adrian Peterson was the last non-quarterback to earn the honor back in 2012, and no wide receiver has ever gotten the nod.
On top of that, Hunter may have limited opportunities at receiver with Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown in the fold. The same is true on defense. The Jaguars have four potential starters at cornerback in Jourdan Lewis, Tyson Campbell, Montaric Brown, and Jarrian Jones. Hunter will get his chances, but it's hard to see him earning a featured role in 2025.
Heck, at this point, based on past trends and the position he plays, Trevor Lawrence may be the team's best candidate for MVP honors, and even he is an extreme long shot. He would need to bounce back and play even better than he did back in 2022, when he joined the conversation about the top 10 quarterbacks. And although an improvement is expected, it's hard to see the former Clemson Tiger having a realistic shot at getting the accolade.
The bottom line is that the Jacksonville Jaguars are in a position to improve next season, but expecting either Travis Hunter, Trevor Lawrence, or any of their players to earn MVP honors is unrealistic.