Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter hit with devastating injury setback

The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a major setback earlier in the NFL season when their two-way star and No. 2 overall pick, Travis Hunter, suffered a non-contact right-knee injury in practice and was placed on injured reserve Oct. 31.

Hunter underwent further testing, with initial scans reportedly showing Hunter’s ACL was intact, but Jacksonville proceeded cautiously nonetheless.

The Jags were dealt a severe blow on Tuesday, however, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that Hunter has officially undergone season-ending knee surgery to repair his LCL.

Thankfully, he is expected to return to full football activities within 6 months, putting him on pace for a full ramp-up ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

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Through seven games this season, the former Colorado star had carved out meaningful minutes on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, Hunter totaled 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown, including a breakout eight-catch, 101-yard game against the Los Angeles Rams in London.

Defensively, he contributed 15 tackles and three pass breakups, and was a regular part of both rotations — 324 snaps on offense, 162 snaps on defense.

With starter Brian Thomas Jr. also sidelined by an ankle issue, the Jaguars moved quickly to offset both losses, trading for veteran slot receiver Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline, sending a 2026 fourth- and sixth-round pick to Las Vegas.

Yet, losing Hunter definitely slows momentum, as he was expected for the home run stretch of the season.

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Jacksonville currently sits 5-4 entering play after Week 10 and faces the Los Angeles Chargers at home on Sunday, the opener of a seven-game stretch that will determine whether the team can sustain a playoff push while key young pieces recover.

The Jaguars’ remaining schedule includes road trips to Arizona and Tennessee and back-to-back December tests against Indianapolis and Denver.

Over that stretch of games, expect Jacksonville’s defense to lean more on Jourdan Lewis, Greg Newsome II, and Montaric Brown for perimeter reps; offensively, Meyers, Parker Washington, and Dyami Brown should see increased targets.