Report: Jaguars Agree to Terms With First-Rounder Travis Etienne
The Jaguars will soon have yet another rookie officially under contract ahead of training camp, leaving the team with just two to go.
A few weeks after No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence agreed to terms with the Jaguars on his rookie deal, Travis Etienne will follow behind his Clemson teammate after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Etienne agreed to terms with the Jaguars on his deal.
"The Jaguars have agreed to terms with first-round RB Travis Etienne and he’ll likely sign his four-year rookie contract today, source said. Like Trevor Lawrence, the No. 25 pick gets no offset language in his deal and a large amount of his signing bonus upfront," Rapoport tweeted.
Etienne will now be tasked with providing Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense with big plays both in the running game and the passing game, a role that head coach Urban Meyer has said will consist of time at both running back and wide receiver.
"Travis Etienne, and someone said why would you take another running back? He’s much more than a running back. He’s a slash — we did not recruit him just because he’s a running back. We probably wouldn’t have. He’s a guy that had a lot of production in the pass game at Clemson," Meyer said following the draft.
"He has excellent hands and he’ll be dual-trained, he’ll be a guy that we dual-train. Those guys are hard to find, but if you find one, we know how to use them. With him I expect an instant impact."
Etienne led Clemson in rushing as a true freshman, carrying the ball 107 times for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns while earning Third-Team All-Conference honors. He took his game to another level when Clemson won the National Championship in 2018, rushing for 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns and catching another two touchdowns. His 26 touchdowns set a conference record and earned him ACC Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, and First-Team All-Conference.
Etienne repeated as First-Team All-American and All-Conference and as ACC Player of the Year in 2019 when he rushed for 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns and caught 37 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns. He then ended his Clemson career with another year in which he led the ACC in rushing and was named to multiple First-Teams, rushing for 914 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 48 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns as a senior.
When Etienne signs his deal, the Jaguars will have seven of their nine 2021 draft picks under contract. Only the team's second-round picks -- cornerback Tyson Campbell (No. 33) and offensive tackle Walker Little (No. 45) -- have yet to formally sign.
