Jacksonville pulled off one of the biggest surprises in the 2025 NFL Draft by trading up from pick No. 5 to pick No. 2 with the Cleveland Browns. They then selected two-way star Travis Hunter with that pick — a move they had been targeting since early April. That’s right… April, when the NFL’s owners met in Palm Beach, Florida. Yet, no one had a clue.
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Jaguars’ football executive and former tackle Tony Boselli recently shared some insights into the negotiations between the two teams during his SiriusXM Radio appearance in late May.
Boselli said the talks began in early April, and a deal was in place as long as Cam Ward went No. 1 overall.
“Give all credit to James Gladstone and Andrew Barry working through that in early April,” Boselli said. “Going through the process, coming to an agreement that was contingent on Cam Ward going No. 1. We worked through it, had it set in place, and the waiting game goes.”
Here’s the full conversation:
.@Jaguars Executive VP of Football Ops Tony Boselli discussed the decision to select CB/WR Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft…
https://t.co/v3G0iz5IH6#Jaguars | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/4ifjOxj60U
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) May 23, 2025
James Gladstone, in his first year as the Jaguars GM, executed this blockbuster move to kickstart his career. Before negotiations began, he didn’t even have a close relationship with the Browns’ Andrew Berry, so they had to establish mutual trust to get the deal finalized.
“Like James said, we didn’t really have a pre-existing relationship,” Berry said via NFL on CBS. “For a deal that big, and to kind of keep it under wraps for a long time, typically there has to be strong trust between the general managers and the organizations. That’s not easy to build in a short period of time.”
Gladstone then emphasized that one of the hardest parts of trade talks is keeping everything under wraps to prevent rumors from spreading. The pressure was definitely there, but a few factors worked in their favor. As the Jags GM joked, it was easier to stay quiet since no one had the new kid on the block’s number.
“Along the way, Andrew, I think I joked with you about keeping it quiet, right? That’s not the easiest thing to do,” Gladstone said. “I was like, ‘I think we’re in luck, because nobody actually has my number, right?’ It’s not like I can talk to many people because it’s an unknown caller, right?”
Jaguars & Browns GMs James Gladstone and Andrew Berry kept the big Travis Hunter trade a secret for weeks leading up to the draft.
“Andrew, I think we’re in luck because nobody really actually has my number” pic.twitter.com/WKr9bndHYq
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) June 6, 2025
The two general managers kept their word, and the trade in progress became a reality on draft night. Cleveland traded the Jaguars the 2025 second-overall pick, along with fourth- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 104 and 200), in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick, the Jaguars’ 2025 second-round pick (No. 36), a fourth-round pick (No. 126), and Jacksonville’s 2026 first-round pick.
