Jaguars’ Travis Hunter Faces Career Crossroads After Shocking Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Well, here we are – just as the NFL season kicks into gear, heartbreak strikes the Jacksonville Jaguars in a big way. Travis Hunter, the dazzling rookie everyone was buzzing about, won’t see another snap this year. Yes, you heard that right. Following a knee surgery to fix his LCL, the team has confirmed that Hunter will be out for around half a year, sidelining him from all action until next fall. It’s a gut punch for the Jaguars and their fans, especially given how promising his first few games were. The injury came out of nowhere during practice last month – no contact, just a cruel twist of fate. Though his ACL stayed intact, the surgery means his rookie campaign has come to an untimely end. More details keep emerging, but for now, the focus shifts to how Jacksonville will adapt without their star two-way threat. LEARN MORE

Travis Hunter’s rookie season is over.

The Jacksonville Jaguars star underwent knee surgery on Tuesday to repair his LCL, the team announced. He will now miss the rest of the season, and will be sidelined for about six months recovering. Hunter is expected to be available for the start of the season next fall.

Hunter went down with a non-contact injury in practice last month, and has been sidelined ever since. The Jaguars quickly put him on injured reserve. While initial testing indicated that his ACL was still intact, the injury still required surgery and will now end his first season in the league.

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Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last season at Colorado, and then was selected by the Jaguars with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft earlier this spring. He had 298 receiving yards and a touchdown in seven games. He was coming off his best offensive game before the injury, too. He had 101 receiving yards on eight catches, both of which were career-highs, and scored his first career touchdown in their loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 19.

The two-way player played 162 of his 486 total snaps at cornerback, too. He had 15 tackles and three pass deflections on the season.

The Jaguars will enter Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers with a 5-4 record. They’ve lost three of their last four games, including a brutal collapse against the Houston Texans last weekend in which they gave up 26 points in the fourth quarter. While quarterback Trevor Lawrence still has wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington available, Hunter’s injury is undoubtedly a blow to the offense as the team tries to rally and make what would be their first playoff appearance since 2022.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.