Jaguars Place Travis Hunter on IR With Knee Injury

Jacksonville will be without two-way star Travis Hunter for at least the next four games.
Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter reacts after a play against the Rams at Wembley Stadium.
Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter reacts after a play against the Rams at Wembley Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Jaguars will be without two-way star Travis Hunter for at least the next four games.

Jacksonville coach Liam Coen said Friday that Hunter suffered a knee injury in practice Thursday. The Jaguars are placing Hunter on IR, meaning the first-round pick won’t return to the field until a Week 13 matchup against the Titans—at the earliest.

Tests eventually confirmed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, that Hunter's ACL is intact; more information on his timeline is expected next week.

“I feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for the team, for everything,” Coen said to the media. “He’s in good spirits right now. Minor set back for a major comeback.”

The Jaguars paid a hefty price to move up in the 2025 NFL draft and select Hunter, sending the Browns four picks (including two first-rounders) to move up three spots to the No. 2 spot.

Seven games into his rookie season, Hunter has logged 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown while playing 67% of the offensive snaps at wide receiver. Although those numbers leave much to be desired, he actually leads Jacksonville in receptions and ranks second in targets (45) and receiving yards.

On the other side of the ball, Hunter has logged 15 tackles and three passes defensed while playing 36% of the defensive snaps at cornerback. He played as many as 62% and 68% of the snaps on defense in Week 2 and Week 3, but those numbers have declined in recent weeks. In the Jaguars’ 35–7 loss to the Rams in Week 7, Hunter played a season-high 87% of the offensive snaps but only 20% of the defensive snaps.

Hunter appeared to be coming into his own with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 against Los Angeles. But for now, his mission to become the NFL’s first modern day two-way star will have to be put on pause as his knee heals.

Jaguars’ upcoming schedule

Jacksonville, sitting at 4–3 and on the outside looking in at the current NFL playoff picture, actually has the fifth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL. The Jaguars have six games remaining against teams currently with a record below .500, including two against the Titans (1–7) and one apiece against the Jets (1–7) and Raiders (2–5).

The Jaguars enter Week 9 in second place in the AFC South behind the 7–1 Colts.

WEEK

DATE

OPPONENT

9

Sunday, Nov. 2

at Raiders

10

Sunday, Nov. 9

at Texans

11

Sunday, Nov. 16

vs. Chargers

12

Sunday, Nov. 23

at Cardinals

13

Sunday, Nov. 30

at Titans

14

Sunday, Dec. 7

vs. Colts

15

Sunday, Dec. 14

vs. Jets

16

Sunday, Dec. 21

at Broncos

17

Sunday, Dec. 28

at Colts

18

TBD

vs. Titans


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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.