Where National Outlets Have Clemson Alum Travis Etienne Landing in Free Agency

NFL free agency is less than a month away, and there's been loads of chatter surrounding some of the top free agents in the class and where they'll land ahead of the 2026 season.

One of those names is Clemson Tigers all-time rushing leader Travis Etienne, who just finished up his rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars after playing on a fifth-year team option this past season.

He's renowned as a top-three running back in the class after coming off one of his best seasons to date, where he finished with nearly 1,400 scrimmage yards and 13 total touchdowns while helping lead the Jaguars to their first playoff berth since 2022.

That said, there's no better time to look at where national outlets have him landing, with four recent projections offering insight into his next destination.

Fox Sports

The most recent projection came from NFL reporter Greg Auman this past Monday, where he broke down the top 100 players available and their potential fits.

Etienne slid in at the No. 20 spot, ranking as the third-best running back behind Breece Hall (No. 11) and recent Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker (No. 6).

Auman projects that Etienne will end up signing with his hometown team, the New Orleans Saints, citing the sixth-year running back's price tag as too steep for Jacksonville — especially with a cheaper and younger option in Bhayshul Tuten already on the roster.

"Etienne, 27, has been a steady run presence in the last four years in Jacksonville, rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025," Auman wrote. "Keeping him will mean a nice raise — let's say $8 million a year — but the Jaguars were pleased with fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten in limited use this past season."

"Using the franchise tag at $14.5 million seems too expensive at a position where there isn't much guaranteed money beyond the first year on many contracts."

ESPN

Last week, multiple ESPN reporters were tasked with making one big prediction about this offseason or next offseason, and Eric Moody made sure to include his thoughts on the Etienne situation.

His pick is another AFC squad, the Kansas City Chiefs. The choice isn't all too surprising considering the team had a bottom-eight rushing attack and tied for the seventh-worst yards per carry in 2025.

And with Etienne's ability to excel as a receiving back, he'd provide a much-needed boost in that area — especially considering the Chiefs' leading pass-catcher last season was 36-year-old Travis Kelce, who finished with 851 yards and five touchdowns.

"Etienne would be intriguing as a proven, versatile back who has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four healthy seasons, including 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025," Moody wrote.

"His ability to contribute as both a runner and receiver would boost a Chiefs backfield that averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry last season and failed to produce a running back with at least 200 receiving yards."

CBS Sports

Similar to the Fox Sports article, CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles came out with his own list of landing spots for the NFL's top 50 free agents, with Etienne making the top half of the ranking.

Sitting at No. 23, Pereles projects the Jaguars to make a strong push to retain Etienne, pointing to his chemistry with 2025 MVP finalist and starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence as a key factor. Still, he named the Seattle Seahawks as his landing spot, with the Cowboys and Texans listed as other potential suitors.

"The Jaguars will surely try their best to keep Etienne around, given his chemistry with Trevor Lawrence going back to their Clemson days," he wrote. "But ultimately Seattle finds its Walker replacement in Etienne, who is an upgrade at pass catcher."

Now, this projection was clearly made before the Super Bowl, and didn’t age well with Walker winning MVP of the contest, so it's doubtful the Seahawks let him walk. However, you never know in this day and age.

PFF (Pro Football Focus)

PFF was the first outlet to make a bold projection about where the former first-round back will land, ranking the top-250 free agents and their possible destinations.

Etienne ranked as the No. 15 overall free agent, but unlike other outlets, PFF has him staying where he's resided for the past five years — Jacksonville.

They didn't give an exact reason, but noted that he had a phenomenal bounce-back season, deserving of a major payday, especially since he's been a focal point of the offense aside from his down year in 2024.

"Etienne bounced back from a disappointing 2024 season and looked closer to his best this year," the outlet wrote. "His 46 missed tackles forced tied for 14th among all running backs, and he remained effective in creating explosive plays, with his 28 rushes of 10 or more yards tying for 10th at the position."

His projected deal is for three years at $34.5 million ($11.5 million annually), including $22.5 million in guaranteed money.