JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars feel the same about Travis Hunter now as before.
General Manager James Gladstone made that much clear as he discussed the 2025 season and 2026 offseason this week – that while Hunter has work to do to prepare for '26, the team's confidence in the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner remains strong.
Very, very strong – on offense and on defense.
"We still expect him to play on both sides of the ball," Gladstone said.
Hunter, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, played seven games at cornerback and wide receiver as a rookie before missing the final 10 games of the season with a knee injury sustained in practice before a Week 10 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"I'm really excited about getting back to work with Travis," Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen said.
Gladstone and Coen discussed Hunter during their season-ending media availability at the Miller Electric Center Wednesday morning, with Gladstone saying the Jaguars "feel good about where we are heading into this offseason and what next year should hold" when it comes to Hunter.
"Very fair to say his rehab process is going as expected," Gladstone said. "He's hitting it hard and obviously the joy that he brings to just the everyday operation is still something that permeates throughout the space that he enters."
Hunter as a rookie this past season played more extensively on both sides of the ball than any NFL player in nearly three decades, and Gladstone on Wednesday said that two-way approach will continue.
Gladstone said he expects cornerback to be a priority next season for Hunter, with starting cornerbacks Montaric Brown and Greg Newsome II scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on the March 11 start of the 2026 NFL League Year.
"You can take a peek at expiring contracts on our roster and which side of the ball has more," Gladstone said. "Obviously at this point walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts.
"By default, you can expect there to be a higher emphasis on his placement."
Hunter as a rookie started four games, all at wide receiver, with 28 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown. He played extensively at cornerback, with 15 tackles and three passes defensed. Hunter had his best offensive game of the season in his final game, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in a 35-7 Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
"The steps he was taking by the midpoint of the season really made us feel good about what the back half of the year was going to be like on both sides of the ball and what that impact was going to look like being a feature point on offense and an impact player on defense," Gladstone said. "[Hunter's injury] was disappointing timing, but nonetheless feel good about where we are heading into this offseason and what next year should hold."
The Jaguars' wide receivers following a midseason trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for veteran Jakobi Meyers developed into a team strength, with the offense and quarterback Trevor Lawrence improving at the same time. Wide receiver Parker Washington led the team with 58 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns receiving this past season, with wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. catching 48 passes for 707 yards and two touchdowns and Meyers catching 42 passes for 483 yards and three touchdowns.
Tight end Brenton Strange caught 46 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns.
"I never really look at anybody as, like, one or two or three," Coen said when addressing whether Hunter would be the "No. 1" receiver moving forward. "It's just who do we have on the roster that's going to be active and that we can continue to work with and prepare through the offseason program with.
"For him (Hunter) right now, it's about getting his rehab right and diving in mentally because of some of the limitations we'll have throughout the offseason program."
Added Gladstone, "The cool thing about our offensive system is each and every game presents a different problem for an opponent. You never know who it is that's going to pop off. You look back at the output of the collective. To be able to spread the wealth, so to speak, is a really positive thing.
"The Wide Receiver One doesn't necessarily exist in the system in the way that you would typically feel like it might."
