Veteran Says Hunter’s Contract Structure Speaks Loudest to This Audience

Quick, what do Travis Hunter and Taylor Swift share in common? Well, in addition to being great dancers and positive influences, in the simplest terms, they’re both great for the National Football League. And in Hunter’s case, his red-carpet NFL entrance has been great for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Suddenly, the franchise has interest from observers who previously wouldn’t pay much attention to the team. Jacksonville even has a primetime game on its 2025 schedule, something not even No. 1 overall selection Cam Ward and the Titans were able to secure.

But the audience that benefits the most from the rookie contract Hunter signed this past weekend isn’t external. According to three-time Super Bowl winner Mark Schlereth, the fact that Jacksonville guaranteed all of Hunter’s $30.57-million signing bonus up front sends the loudest message to Hunter’s teammates.

“I absolutely love the signing,” said Schlereth on Monday’s edition of Breakfast Ball. “I love them giving all $30 million up front, not only to say, ‘Hey man, we got our guy. He's going to play both ways.’ But more importantly to me, this is something that's talked about in the locker room, where you say, ‘Hey, there's a change in culture. We've got a new GM; we've got a new head coach.

“We're not going to nickel and dime our guy. We're giving him all $30 million up front because we drafted him, we believe in him and he's going to play both ways.’” And that resonates in the locker room. So, good for the Jags. Obviously, good for Travis Hunter, but this is really good just organizationally for the Jaguars.”

Organizationally for the Jaguars, Hunter’s presence this summer provides the team unique opportunities such as tweeting his contract signing not once but twice. The Jaguars on Sunday tweeted two photos of Hunter inking his new deal, one listing him as a wide receiver and one listing him as a defensive back.

But the opportunities that matter most are those Hunter provides on the field during games this fall. And whether he spends more time in offensive meeting rooms or defensive meeting rooms on a weekly basis, whether he’s more of a natural cornerback than wide receiver, whether all of that changes depending on Liam Coen’s game plan to attack each opponent, all of it is fascinating cinema.

“He does not tire,” general manager James Gladstone said last week on SiriusXM. “He’s got spark, he’s got the energy, the capacity from a physical standpoint just to be able to do it. And certainly there, a certain game plan might dictate usage differently.

“So, time will truly tell, and I don't know that one game to the next is going to be the exact same. But putting a number on it at this stage I think is probably premature.”

What’s not probably premature, however, is the need to prepare for Hunter’s second NFL contract. That obstacle, significantly clouded by how the CBA prescribes his fifth-year option and franchise-player designation, figures to stand much larger than Hunter’s 6-1, 185-pound frame as he nears eligibility for free agency later this decade.

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