The Jacksonville Jaguars will be busy ahead of free agency. Although they've done a good job of re-signing their own players, the front office still has a long to-do list, with running back Travis Etienne nearly at the top.
Etienne is coming off his third 1,000-yard season in four years. On top of that, he racked up a career-best six receiving touchdowns. Simply put, he's an integral piece of the offensive puzzle in Jacksonville. Thus, re-signing him around would be huge. An NFL analyst thinks the Jags will be able to pull it off.
Pro Football Network predicts that the Jaguars will re-sign Travis Hunter
Ryan Guthrie of Pro Football Network drew up a list of offseason predictions for all NFL teams and thinks that the Jags will be able to keep Travis Etienne, noting that he's one of their offensive mainstays.
"Travis Etienne isn't going anywhere," Guthrie wrote. "He's rushed for over 1,000 yards in three of four healthy seasons and remains one of the league's best dual-threat backs. With over 1,300 scrimmage yards and elite receiving production, he's a cornerstone of Jacksonville's offense."
A first-round pick in 2021, Etienne missed his rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury but ran for over 1,200 yards the following year. He once again crossed the 1,000-yard mark in 2023, but a shoulder injury hindered his production in 2024.
Then, a new regime took over in 2025, and speculation about Etienne's future surfaced. The noise only grew louder when Jacksonville used a pair of draft picks on running backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen. Couple that with the presence of Tank Bigsby, and the former Clemson Tiger seemed to be on his way out.
Etienne didn't care about the chatter. He put his head down, got to work, and made a strong impression in training camp. By Week 1, he had cemented his place as RB1 on the depth chart. The Louisiana native went on to have a banner season while Bigsby was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles two games into the season.
Now, Etienne is scheduled to hit the open market. Spotrac values him at $6.1 million per year. Of course, the final amount could change, but it's hard to see him getting an annual average of $15 million.
Either way, bringing Etienne back is a realistic possibility. It could come down to how the Jaguars feel about him.
The Jaguars may want to address other needs rather than re-signing Travis Etienne
If Travis Etienne left, the Jaguars could promote Bhayshul Tuten. Then again, having both of them in the backfield, along with blocking specialist LeQuint Allen, would give them a well-rounded group. On the other hand, the Jags are $21 million over the cap, and even after they free up space, they may want to prioritize other needs, such as cornerback, the pass rush, and defensive tackle.
And that's the thing, it's a bit easier to find a running back in the draft than, let's say, a cornerback or a pass rusher. Again, Etienne is a key cog on the Jacksonville offense, but the team's brass cannot bring back all the pending free agents.
Aside from Etienne, linebacker Devin Lloyd and cornerback Montaric Brown are scheduled to hit the open market. From an outside perspective, it's hard to tell who'll be the bigger priority, but the Jags probably won't be able to bring all three back.
The Jaguars would surely love to have Travis Etienne back. He himself would like to return, but without infite cap to go around, there's a chance he won't return in 2026.