Travis Hunter update reignites debate over whether Jaguars overpaid to trade up

After a slow start to his rookie campaign, two-way star Travis Hunter was beginning to make strides. However, he suffered a knee injury before Week 9 that brougth his season to an end. He underwent surgery not long after, and based on the remarks head coach Liam Coen made, the Jacksonville Jaguars expect the former Heisman Trophy winner to be back at full strength and contribute in Year 2.

That said, the Jags will use Hunter mostly at corner next season. He'll continue to line up at receiver, but won't be nearly as involved on offense. This recent update on his usage has brought renewed criticism over the price Jacksonville paid to select him second overall in 2025.

The Jaguars play to use Travis Hunter at corner full-time, raising questions about the 2025 trade

Following the loss to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, general manager James Gladstone told the local media that Travis Hunter will still play two ways but could have a bigger role on defense because the team needs help at corner. More recently, Cameron Wolfe confirmed Gladstone's comments, adding that Greg Newsome and Montaric Brown will become free agents, and at least one of them will leave.

Meanwhile, the Jags are stacked at receiver. With Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington in the mix, Jacksonville can afford to keep Hunter at corner full-time and use him in a complementary role on offense. This is the opposite of how the coaching staff used him in 2025.

Last year, Hunter logged 324 snaps on offense (67 percent) and 162 on defense (36 percent).

Did the Jaguars overpaid to trade up for Travis Hunter?

When the Jaguars trade up three spots to select Travis Hunter, they agreed to give the Cleveland Browns their 2025 second-round pick and their 2026 first-round pick. On top of that, they swapped fourth-round picks. That would be an adequate price to pay if the Colorado Buffalo, but if Jacksonville wants to play him mainly on just one side of the ball, it looks costly in retrospect.

As early as October 2025, Mike Sando of The Athletic called the trade misguided, noting that the Jags had set unrealistic expectations for Hunter. Following the news that he'll mainly line up at corner next season, Louis Riddick of ESPN said that playing both ways was never realistic.

Now, there's a chance that Hunter could develop into a Pro Bowl cornerback and a game-changer at receiver who can contribute from time to time. But that's not what the criticism is centered around. The consensus thinks that Jacksonville overpaid to move three spots.

You will see some online analysts claim that the Jags gave up two first-round picks and a second, when in reality it was just one first-round selection and the second, because they swapped the No. 2 pick for the No. 5. Still, the price might've been too steep.

Heck, the Jags landed Hunter in a recent do-over without having to trade up. Does that mean they overpaid? Maybe, but it won't truly matter if Hunter becomes a playmaker and the rest of the Jaguars draft picks in 2025 turn out to be hits.

In fact, we could be having this debate only because a knee injury ended Hunter's rookie season prematurely. Had he finished strong, we would be talking about how good the trade was. On the other hand, the Jags could also be under scrutiny if he failed to make an impact down the stretch.

Either way, Year 2 will give us a better idea of whether the Jaguars made the right call when Travis Hunter is back in the fold.