In recent days, the Jacksonville Jaguars have caught plenty of heat for the decision to have two-way star Travis Hunter play cornerback full-time next season. Couple that with the fact that they had to give up a 2025 second-round pick and their first-rounder in 2026, and it's easy to see why the Jags are getting plenty of flak. Having said that, talking heads are missing several crucial points.
For starters, Hunter will continue to line up at receiver, albeit on a full-time basis. Moreover, you cannot truly say that he suffered a season-ending knee injury because he played two ways. After all, players, veterans, and rookies can sustain a serious injury at any given time.
If that wasn't enough, Pat McAfee recently dropped a scoop that puts Jacksonville's decision to trade up three spots for Hunter in a better light.
The Browns would've traded Travis Hunter if the Jaguars hadn't traded for him
Pat McAfee said on his TV Show that the Browns would've drafted Travis Hunter if the Jaguars hadn't offered him a haul to trade up for him. Here's the skinny,
"From our source says the Browns were going to draft Travis Hunter, I believe as well," McAfee said during his show. "I believe Travis Hunter was going to be drafted No. 2 overall to the Browns if the Jags hadn't made a massive trade. How would that have looked with the bronze versus what it was going to be talked about when [James] Gladstone told us about changing the mold of football as a whole down there in Jacksonville, and they trade everything like that.
For context, the Jags traded up three spots to select Hunter because Gladstone said the former Heisman Trophy winner had the talent to change not just the landscape of the NFL but of sports as well. Since landing in Jacksonville, though, he's been unable to hit his stride.
Although Hunter played 67 percent of the offensive snaps up until he hurt his knee, he finished his rookie season with just 299 receiving yards and one touchdown. Similarly, he failed to make big-time plays at cornerback, tallying just 36 percent of the team's snaps on defense.
On the other hand, Hunter also flashed the game-altering talent that made him a collegiate star at Colorado. Just one game before the knee injury, he had a breakout performance at receiver, reeling in eight receptions for 101 yards with a touchdown. Similarly, he gave up a healthy completion rate of 60.0 yards. It's fair to assume that No. 12 would've finished his rookie season strong had he stayed healthy.
The Jaguars expect big things from Travis Hunter in 2026
Contrary to what some analysts have suggested, the Jaguars are adjusting their role for Travis Hunter next season because they want to get the most out of him, not because he's not capable of playing two ways. The fact that the Browns were zeroing in on him on draft day shows that other teams valued his flexibility to play two positions at the NFL level.
Sure, you can still debate the price Jacksonville had to pay to move up, but that shouldn't take anything from the fact that the West Palm Beach, Florida native was highly coveted coming out of college.
And leaving aside the physical toll that it would take to play two ways full-time in the NFL, the Jags are decreasing Travis Hunter's role on offense because they're stacked at receiver. With Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington in the fold, Jacksonville can allow Hunter to fully focus on the defensive side of the ball, which, in turn, should allow him to reach his potential.
When you put it all together, the Travis Hunter trade isn't nearly as bad as some talking heads suggest. And if he's at full strength next season, he should have no trouble picking up where he left off before suffering the knee injury.
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