JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Bradford from Orange Park, FL
Can you detail, for the contractual laymen among us, what part of Travis Hunter's deal was historic and/or made it unique to the rookie ones that had come before it?
Jaguars rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter on Sunday afternoon signed his rookie contract, a four-year deal worth a reported $46.6 million guaranteed with a $30.6 million signing bonus. The Jaguars in the contract also have the NFL's standard fifth-year option for 2029, which they will have the "option" to exercise following the 2027 season. The deal, like all rookie deals since the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, was "slotted" and therefore was all but predetermined before the Jaguars selected the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The '11 CBA established the rookie wage scale to ensure there is comparatively little drama or negotiation for draft selections, which prevented Hunter's contract – or any other rookie contracts these days –from having much uniqueness. With Hunter expected to play two positions extensively, there is a better-than-decent chance that his second contract – which he can't sign until after the 2027 season – could be unique and history-making. Stay tuned.
Scott from Aruba
I've seen the Hunter OTA highlights - WOW! - totally get why the team trade the farm to go up and get him. What do we need to see from Hunter by the end of the year to feel like it was a good trade?
Whether trading for Hunter was a "good trade" likely won't be determined by the end of the 2025 season – though countless observers and fans unquestionably will want a "final verdict" on the matter by that time. I expect Hunter, like most young NFL players, will be better as a second-year player than as a rookie – and I expect observers will label him disappointing if he doesn't score a touchdown on his first series in Week 1. From this view, the trade for Hunter will be "good" if he's an elite player at either cornerback or wide receiver sometime during his first two or three seasons – and if he's making enough impact to matter at the other position. If he changes momentum in games consistently … I expect that will be the measure.
Adam from Round Here
I think you should end the O-Zone streak the day after the Jags win the Super Bowl. What more needs to be answered at that point?
Maybe.
Ray from Jax
John: Two literature comments: I'll take Faulkner over Hemingway. "The Sound And The Fury" could describe a lot of NFL fan angst. Secondly, how unfair for literature teachers to assign "Moby Dick "to the males at 592 pages and "The Scarlet Letter" to the girls.
I confess I lack something – aptitude, patience or maybe intelligence – that prevents me from "getting" William Faulkner. I'm sure he was great. Other intelligent people certainly believed this was the case. I never bothered with Moby Dick and read Scarlet Letter when forced by a high school English teacher. I wish I was more patient and well-rounded in this area. At my age, I doubt either will happen.
Roscoe from Southside
Zone: In a recent post, Timothy from Fernandina questioned why Travon Walker was not included in PFF's rankings. The answer is actually simple. The Jaguars' roster is filled with good NFL players, such as Travon Walker, who are very valuable, but are not exceptional. They are the best players on our team, although not exceptional like Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse. Our quarterback is good, but not exceptional like Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Last season, our roster included only three very special players – punter Logan Cooke, long snapper Ross Matiscik and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The league recognized these players by selecting them for the Pro Bowl. The NFL is a players' league and teams separate themselves because of special players. My question is, why do you believe that a team of good players, but very few special/exceptional players, can improve significantly from their 4-13 record? The free agents that were brought in have not been special players during their careers. The only obvious, potentially special player is rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter. Although he is a very talented rookie, it's unlikely that he and Thomas can lift this entire roster. I hope I'm wrong, but I believe the Jaguars are three-to-five years from General Manager James Gladstone bringing in special players that can make this team challenge for a championship, and that is the goal.
Win a few close games, keep quarterback Trevor Lawrence healthy, make a few more clutch plays and make a few more explosive plays. That can get you back to a 9-8-ish regular-season record. I don't believe the Jaguars are an 11-victory-and-up, deep-postseason team yet. I do believe they can get to 9-8-ish in 2025 with the current roster and improve from there moving forward.
Michael from Orange Park, FL
Is it me, or does the dead zone seem a little less dead this time around?
The "dead-zone" questions and answers indeed have felt a little more alive this offseason – from this perspective, at least. That's a credit to the questions more than the answers. Let's hope the readers/questioners stay strong. We have a month before 2025 Training Camp begins. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Armand from Jacksonville
John. You have my sympathy with all the non-football questions you're asked. Keep on keeping on.
The O-Zone posts on this free website 365 days a year – seven days a week, 12 months, etc. It's OK to ask and answer some non-football questions at times. What's the harm, really?
Bo from Winter Springs, FL
So, it went down like this. Last regime said "Goodbye Smoot, thanks for being here, good luck out there!" Now, we all now know what we thought we knew which we now know we know, that getting a beer with Smoot would be Top 3 Jags ever - from your own list. Well, the rest of the guys in the locker room didn't like that. They loved them some Smoot. He may not have been THE guy defenses game planned for, but he was the heart of the D-Line. The defense naturally regressed. The offseason came along, the old regime was sent packing, "goodbye fellas, thanks for being here, good luck out there!" In comes new gurus with big brains and cool words and nice shoes to lead us to the promised land. They look around and evaluate where things all went wrong and you know they asked Josh Allen and Travon Walker what they thought and you know they both said, "we want Smoot back", and so they go out and re-sign Smoot to make the guys happy so they will play better. Right?
It appears you're mis-analyzing or overanalyzing the situation a bit.
Roy from Orange Park, FL
John, I've read about Trevor's footwork improving. But, what I want to know is if he is learning how to read defenses better than before? Because he sucked big time in that department!
It appears you're mis-analyzing or overanalyzing the situation a bit.
Greg from Section 122, SOTF, Jacksonville, FL
This might not be the appropriate place, I don't know. My dog passed Friday after a long battle with cancer. Buried her by our lake in the back. RIP Buttercup, you were annoying but loved nonetheless. Pets really are family. Thanks, O-man. Having to dig that grave was the hardest thing I've done in a long time. Happy Dead Zone.
Brutal. Thoughts with you.
Paul from Lake City, soon to be St. Augustine
The question about comparing Hunter's hands to Blackmon's had me reminiscing about Blackmon's body control as he would catch. He seemed to have this supernatural ability to position his body so that while his hands went to the ball, his body was in position to make the next move before the defender could react. It was as if he were made for big plays. If either BTJ or Hunter can be as effective as Blackmon was during the brief glimpses Jaguars fans enjoyed, this offense should be very fun to watch.
We don't discuss former Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon much in this space. He played in the NFL so briefly and his off-field issues were so serious that discussing his football skills much sometimes just doesn't feel right. But his body control and hands were indeed elite – and it's hard to imagine him not having been an All-Pro-level receiver had he played a full career.
Ross from Jacksonville
How are the Jaguars looking as it pertains to health leading into Training Camp? I didn't seem to see any injury concerns. Are all team members good to go?
Pretty much.
