Questions have persisted about whether the Jaguars are getting the most out of cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, the second overall pick in the 2025 draft. Coach Liam Coen put the situation in simple terms on Friday.
“He cares about winning“said Coen, “That’s what he cares about. Like, and all the other things, the proxies, where we chose it, make it – I don’t give two F’s for the value. And neither did he. We care about winning. And that’s it.”
That’s not what Hunter said in an appearance in August Pivot podcast. He said he wants to play on both sides of the ball, full time.
“If I’m trying to be the best – how are you going to be the best, if you’re not trying to be the best?” Hunter said at the time. “If you’re not trying to compete and do your best to be the best? So my main focus is to be the best. So I’m going to do everything I can do to be the best. I don’t want to be the best at a position. There are a lot of people who are the best at a position. It’s not no one has yet been the best at bothfull time. . . .
“I can’t sit on the sideline. I don’t think anybody has noticed that yet. I hate the sidelines. I don’t want to sit there. I can’t sit there and watch football. I have to be on the field.”
The fact that the Jaguars are winning makes it harder for Hunter, who is growing on the defensive side of the ball but continues to come up short, at best, on offense. But he is on record with his wishes.
And, yes, it’s fair to ask about the value. Especially considering the glowing remarks GM James Gladstone made after the Jaguars moved up from No. 5 to No. 2 to get him.
“That’s something that I’m uniquely positioned to navigate,” Gladstone said in April 2025. “We ended up bringing Travis Hunter to Jacksonville, and with that, he’s somebody who’s worthy of a first-round draft pick as a wide receiver, and he’s worthy of a first-round draft pick as a corner. Of course, we’re looking forward to it. each of those elements showing itself over the next few years while he is under his initial contract.”
While the Jaguars have emerged as an elite team, Hunter’s stated vision has yet to be realized. And it seems no one wants that to happen more than him.