Without saying anything, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone told everyone that Travis Hunter is going to play both ways. And he’s not just going to play both ways. The Jaguars expect him to be a superstar on both sides of the football.
Gladstone didn’t have to tell anyone his plan or his expectations. The draft capital did the talking. To move up from fifth overall to second overall, the Jaguars sent the Cleveland Browns a future first-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder as part of the deal.
To some degree, I can see why they did it. Hunter was widely ranked the WR1 and the CB1 in this year’s draft class. If the Jaguars see him as a surefire starter at both positions, then in some ways, it makes sense to spend two first-round picks on him. There’s value, too, in essentially getting an extra game-day roster with a player who starts at two positions.
But the fascinating thing about Hunter — if the Browns had taken him — was the two-for-one value. So in a sense, the Jaguars erased that unique value by giving up this war chest of picks for him.
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It’s a lot to give up. Probably too much.
When Gladstone finally discussed his plans and expectations for Hunter, the Jags GM spelled out why they decided to make the move.
“There are players that you can target and acquire who can alter the trajectory of a game,” he told the team’s in-house radio show immediately after the Jaguars made the pick on Thursday night. “There are players that you can target and acquire who can alter the trajectory of a football team. There are very few — and it’s rare — to target and prioritize a player who can alter the sport itself. Travis is somebody that we think has the potential to do that.”
OK, so let’s dive into the exact details of the transaction:
Browns receive: fifth overall pick (first round), 36th overall pick (second round), 126th overall pick (fourth round) and 2026 first round pick.
Jaguars receive: 2nd overall pick (first round), 104th overall pick (fourth round), 200th overall pick (sixth round).
Gladstone said the deal has been in the works since April, but the Browns and Jaguars really felt good about the deal over the past few weeks. That’s when the concept drew closer to reality.
So let’s talk about the reality of Hunter playing both ways in the NFL. Because Gladstone said it, in order to be a two-way star, Hunter will have to change what we understand about the sport of football. No one has ever been a two-way star. Even Deion Sanders, Hunter’s former coach at Colorado, had a limited role on offense. And he might be the most famous two-way player in the history of the game. Hunter has repeatedly said his intention is to be a full-time starter.
“They put me on the phone with both coordinators,” Hunter said to ESPN after the Jaguars picked him.
A full-time starter would mean playing roughly 2,000 snaps per NFL regular season. At Colorado last year, Hunter played 1,356 snaps. He’ll have a 147% workload in the NFL when compared to college if he wants to play full-time. And it doesn’t stop there. He’ll have a rigorous daily schedule all season long, likely starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. It’ll mean a specialized schedule to make sure he attends the right meetings — and catches up on the ones he can’t attend (because he can only be in one place at a time). He’ll have to find ways, within the CBA, to practice and drill both positions.
It’ll mean extra work for him and for his team.
I’m not saying he can’t do it. I’m only saying it’s never been done. The good news for everyone involved is that Gladstone is clearly bought in on making that happen. And the Jaguars had better make it happen quickly.
Before Hunter can change the league, he needs to start with the first quality Gladstone mentioned: altering the trajectory of games. If he can do that, then he’s going to alter the trajectory of the long-downtrodden Jaguars. If he can do that, he can ensure the pick next year isn’t in the top 10. And that might go a long way in making this trade look better. Because right now, it’s easy to project another lackluster season from Jacksonville. It’s easy to imagine significant value for that future first-rounder. If the Jaguars finish next year at the bottom of the league, even if Hunter is good, it’ll be tough to see the Browns taking their potential top-10 pick.
Maybe someday, Hunter can change the NFL. But if he’s going to justify Gladstone’s gutsy decision, then Hunter needs to win games in a way no one has ever done — by rarely leaving the field. And swinging the momentum of games by staying out there.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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