Doubts have persisted regarding whether the Jacksonville Jaguars are maximizing the potential of cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, the second overall selection in the 2025 draft. Head coach Liam Coen addressed the matter with clarity on Friday.
“He cares about winning,” Coen said. “That’s what he cares about. And all the other stuff—the reps, where we picked him, does that — I don’t give two Fs about value. And neither does he. We care about winning. And that’s it.”
That stance differs from Hunter’s comments during an August appearance on The Pivot podcast, where he stated his desire to play both sides of the ball on a full-time basis.
“If I’m trying to be the best — how are you gonna be the best, if you ain’t trying to be the best?” Hunter said at the time. “If you ain’t trying to compete and do the best to be the best? So my main focus is be the best. So I’m gonna do everything I can do to be the best. I don’t want to be the best at one position. There’s a lot of people that’s the best at one position. Ain’t nobody yet been the best at both, full-time.”
“I cannot sit on the sideline. I don’t think nobody’s noticed that yet. I hate the sidelines. I do not wanna sit there. I can’t sit there and just watch football. I’ve got to be on the field.”
The Jaguars’ success makes it difficult for Hunter to object to his deployment, given his workload is expanding on defense while his offensive contributions remain cameo appearances, at best. Yet, he remains on the record regarding his preferences.
It is also fair to question the asset value, particularly in light of the praise general manager James Gladstone offered after the Jaguars traded up from No. 5 to No. 2 to secure him.
“This is something I’m uniquely positioned to navigate,” Gladstone said in April 2025. “We ended up bringing Travis Hunter to Jacksonville, and with that, he is somebody who is deserving of a first-round draft pick as a wide receiver, and he is worthy of a first-round draft pick as a corner. Certainly, look forward to each of those elements showing themselves over the next few years while he is under his rookie contract.”
While the Jaguars have emerged as an elite team, the original vision for Hunter has yet to fully materialize. It appears, however, that no one is more invested in that vision coming to fruition than Hunter himself.