Jaguars’ Travis Hunter has surgery, to miss rest of season
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Michael DiRocco
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars rookie wide receiver/corner Travis Hunter will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee Tuesday, the team announced.
Hunter had his lateral collateral ligament repaired in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper and Dr. Kevin Kaplan, the Jaguars’ head team physician. There was no additional damage to the knee, the team announced, and Hunter is expected to return to full football activities within six months.
Hunter was placed on injured reserve on October 31, a day after suffering a non-contact injury during practice while on defense. The team wanted to confirm the severity of Hunter’s injury and how much time he would miss after an initial MRI revealed Hunter’s ACL was intact.
Further testing revealed the damage to the LCL.
Hunter’s final game was his best offensive performance as a professional; he caught eight passes for 104 yards and his first NFL touchdown in a 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in London in Week 7.
The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner has 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he has 15 tackles and three assists. He played 67% of the team’s offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps until his injury.
Hunter was ascending to the role of the team’s No. 1 receiver, in part because of his skills and playmaking ability, but also because of Brian Thomas Jr.’s struggles (five drops).
After injuries to Hunter, Thomas (ankle in Week 9) and Dyami Brown (shoulder), the Jaguars acquired wide receiver Jakobi Meyers from the Las Vegas Raiders at the November 4 trade deadline.
Meyers played 24 snaps and caught three passes for 41 yards in the Jaguars’ 36-29 loss at Houston last Sunday.
Jacksonville will next host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The Jaguars traded four draft picks – including a 2026 first round – to Cleveland to move up three spots and select Hunter second overall. The Jaguars also gave the Browns the No. 5 pick, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
The Jaguars also received fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2025 draft.
