Travis Hunter's Unremarkable Rookie Season Has Come To An End

It began with so much fanfare and expectation and hope, but now Travis Hunter's rookie NFL season has ended following his surgery Tuesday to repair a ligament in his knee.

Hunter underwent surgery to repair the LCL in his right knee, a source confirmed. NFL Network was first to report the surgery. And the Jaguars later released a statement on the matter.

Hunter Will Be Ready In Six Months

Hunter is expected to return to football activities within six months, per the Jaguars. So he will not miss a significant part of the Jagaurs' offseason program. And, the best news, it is confirmed Hunter's ACL is intact after he suffered the injury in a non-contact incident in practice Oct. 30.

So this is good news in that the injury isn't going to keep Hunter out early next season. But it is a disappointment that he's done for 2025. 

And that falls into line with Hunter's rookie season because, well, he didn't exactly get out of the NFL career gate fast.

Hunter finishes his season with 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown in seven games. On defense he finishes with 11 solo tackles and three passes defensed.

Travis Hunter has made it clear that he wants to play both sides of the ball in the NFL. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Expectations For Hunter Were High

Hunter, drafted No. 2 overall to play on offense and defense, played 67 percent of the Jaguars' offensive snaps and 36 percent of the team's defensive plays, per Pro Football Reference.

That's not exactly amazing stuff. 

And the Jaguars sold their trade to get Hunter, in which they yielded a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, a first-round pick in the 2026 draft, and second-round pick in the 2025 draft to go along with other considerations, as worth the cost.

"There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport; Travis has the potential to do just that," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said of his new player on draft day last April.

"Travis, in fact, as a player is rare. As a person, he’s also rare. When we say that the idea of inviting people into our ecosystem, who by being nothing more than who they are, elevate the space … that’s the epitome of what Travis is."

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) is pressured by Kansas City Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks (21) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Hunter Didn't Alter Anyone's Trajectory

And, look, there's no arguing Hunter is a good citizen. He's beloved within the organization. He's made a lot of news, drawn a lot of praise, and some odd criticism, and done commercials. 

But he didn't alter the trajectory of the sport on the field.  It is early, yes. 

No one is saying this won't eventually work out for Hunter and the Jaguars. But Hunter's contributions simply didn't match other rookies like, say Emeka Egbuka in Tampa Bay or Tyler Warren in Indianapolis.

And perhaps part of this the Jaguars' fault.

The Jaguars have engaged in a trial-and-error exercise with Hunter in which they're trying to figure out exactly how and when to deploy him on offense and defense or both.

That's obviously their call. But multiple NFL coaches have told OutKick they would go about maximizing Hunter differently.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) makes a catch against Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 19, 2025 in London. Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Make Hunter Great At One Spot First

They said they would flood Hunter with assignments for one or the other side of the ball – whichever they believe he'd be most impactful. 

Ask him to prove he is outstanding on that one side while offering more work on the other side of the ball after he becomes fully proficient on one.

"I'd want him as a great receiver or corner before I'd ask him to do the other thing," one coach said. "They're feeding him information and working him in fits and starts on both sides of the ball, and he's not fully mastered either."

So, basically, make Hunter the game-changer the Jaguars promised on one side of the ball and when he's that, expand his role to the other side as well. But it's not happening this season.