The Jacksonville Jaguars collapsed in the second half of their Week 10 matchup against the Houston Texans en route to a 36-29 loss.
That loss drops the Jaguars to 5-4 and three games behind Indianapolis in the divisional race. Jacksonville’s playoff hopes now likely hinge on a wild-card berth in a crowded field featuring the rising Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Jacksonville will have to try to keep up with those teams without its top rookie, Travis Hunter.
Hunter missed the last two games with a knee injury, and the team confirmed today that the No. 2 overall pick will be out for the rest of the season following surgery to repair his right knee.
‘Earlier today, WR/DB Travis Hunter underwent successful surgery to repair an isolated lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury in his right knee,’ the team stated in a post on X. ‘Beyond the LCL, there was no additional damage to the knee. Hunter will miss the remainder of the 2025 season, but is expected to return within six months to full football activities.’
Jacksonville traded up in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Hunter at No. 2 overall, giving up a future first-round pick in the process. The Heisman Trophy winner was viewed as a potential two-way starter after doing so in college at Colorado with great success.
Hunter caught his first NFL touchdown in Week 7 as he consistently saw more playing time on offense than defense in his rookie season. That touchdown was his lone score of the season and will be the only one from his rookie year.
With the timeline the Jaguars provided, Hunter should be on pace to return to the field for minicamp next offseason, barring any unexpected setbacks.
What happened to Travis Hunter?
Hunter injured his right knee during a practice on Oct. 30. He was initially ruled out for the Jaguars’ Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders and was placed on injured reserve. That move required him to miss at least four games.
Hunter was initially expected to return later in the season, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. But the injury required surgery, and the highly-touted rookie will be out for the rest of the 2025 season.
Travis Hunter stats
Hunter lined up primarily on offense ahead of his injury with mixed snap counts on defense. Here’s how he did on both sides of the ball in seven games of action this year with defensive data from Pro Football Focus:
Offense
Targets: 45
Receptions: 28
Receiving yards: 298
Receiving touchdowns: 1
Defense
Tackles: 14
Passes defensed: 2
Targets: 15
Catches allowed: 9
Yards allowed: 96
Touchdowns allowed: 0
Quarterback rating when targeted: 78.8