The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially signed the two-way sensation, Travis Hunter. The 2024 Heisman trophy winner has now inked an unprecedented four-year, $46.65-million deal that will see Hunter receive the entirety of his $30.57 million signing bonus up front.
Advertisement
Hunter’s meta-breaking potential may have been enough to convince the Jaguars; however, the former NFL scout, Daniel Jeremiah, just hours prior to the signing, cautioned Jacksonville about the fragility of both Hunter and the human body itself. According to the NFL Network insider, a contract for Hunter could prove to be a risky investment.
Playing both sides of the ball presents an entirely new set of challenges and concerns for player health and safety, especially on defense.
“My concern is the defensive side of the ball. I think, in the NFL at corner, you have more physical responsibilities than you do in college. In the NFL, they are going to pull him in closer to the line of scrimmage. They are going to design a run game where he’s going to be the unblocked defender, and he’s going to have to tackle 230-pound, grown men. Repeatedly. That builds throughout a very long season.”
While Hunter has proven himself capable of handling a high snap count, the level of physicality in the NFL figures to call that durability into question rather quickly. Nevertheless, if there was ever a prospect who seems capable of rising to such an occasion, it’s the former Buffalo.
Travis Hunter’s historic rookie deal
Receiving a full signing bonus upfront may not be new for quarterbacks, but it is for the rest of the league. Hunter is the first non-QB rookie to ever receive such an offer, allowing him to further the case that he is already in a class of his own.
Of course, the true value of the deal lies in his potential. Should he prove to be as advertised, then Jacksonville has officially secured a generational talent at a bargain price.
Should Hunter succumb to injuries, then the team will still be able to get themselves off of the hook in a rather short period of time. Suffice to say, it seems to be a win-win for everyone involved.
Now that the ink is dry and the checks have been cashed, all that is left to see is whether or not Hunter is actually the game-breaking talent that the press has made him out to be. He has all the dressing and trimmings of the next big star, but fans won’t know for certain until he finally steps onto the grass.
His debut figures to be one of the most watched events of the opening weeks and will bring some much needed fanfare to the city of Jacksonville, a team that has just one playoff win since 2017. For all of the impressive feats that he has accomplished throughout the past two years, reviving the Jaguars’ spirits may be the most impressive.
Considering that he’s already managed to bring an additional bit of hope to what has historically been a lackluster franchise, it’s safe to say that he’s well worth the money.
