Travis Hunter won’t play his first NFL snap until Sept. 7, when his Jacksonville Jaguars host the Carolina Panthers. Despite this, he has already put himself in a class of his own at the professional level.
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Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Hunter inked his rookie contract on Sunday. He made NFL history in the process by becoming “the first non-quarterback not drafted first overall to receive his entire signing bonus upfront.” That signing bonus – a whopping $30.57 million – makes him a very rich man ahead of his first NFL training camp.
Cam Newton, unsurprisingly, believes Hunter is worth every penny of his paycheck. The 2015 NFL MVP described why on his 4th&1 podcast. In his opinion, Hunter is a unicorn who could single-handedly shift the league’s contractual tendencies.
“He’s the first of his kind. People aren’t appreciating what Travis Hunter is doing… if you’re a receiver, if you’re a DB, [and] if you’re an athlete in general, you’re rooting for Travis Hunter’s success. Why? Because he could potentially be the first person to ever make anything remotely close to a quarterback,” he explained.
There are currently 11 NFL quarterbacks making north of $50 million per season. Overall, 50% (16/32) of the league’s signal-callers are making more than the highest-paid non-quarterback (WR Ja’Marr Chase – $40.25 million).
Hunter, with his two-way prowess, seems destined to top that figure. Chase, the NFL’s best-compensated receiver, and Derrick Stingley Jr., the league’s highest-paid cornerback, combine to make $70.25 million in salary.
Four minutes and 36 seconds of Travis Hunter highlights… for no particular reason at all.#Big12FB | @CUBuffsFootball pic.twitter.com/Va6AmjHD5Z
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 7, 2024
If Hunter is anywhere close to the caliber of Chase and Stingley Jr. at their respective positions, it will be hard to dispute him being the league’s best player. That fact is why Jacksonville’s general manager, James Gladstone, in his first year at the helm, took the major swing of jumping up to No. 2 overall to land Hunter.
The Jags have major talent on their roster. Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker, and Josh Hines-Allen, like Hunter, were top 10 draft choices. Hunter’s offensive running mate, Brian Thomas Jr., posted 1,282 receiving yards and earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie.
New head coach Liam Coen has been tasked with turning around Jacksonville’s offense. If he can help Lawrence reach his peak form, the Jags’ 18.8 points per game (26th in the NFL) from 2024 should become a distant memory. And if it does, Jacksonville could reclaim the AFC South much quicker than anticipated.
