The Jacksonville Jaguars have been making changes to the roster since the end of 2024, and more will come before the regular season begins. One potential move, in particular, that has been monitored the past few months is whether they'll trade Travis Etienne or keep him around.
Etienne was a pretty reliable player before 2024, registering over 3,900 combined yards from scrimmage the two years prior. However, he suffered a shoulder injury last year that hindered his performance. Couple that with the ascension of fellow running back Tank Bigsby and the arrival of rookie Bhayshul Tuten, and the former Clemson Tiger could be expendable.
Heck, Etienne was the subject of trade chatter since before the Jags drafted Tuten, but for the time being, it looks like he'll stick around in 2025. This leads an NFL analyst to dub his contract situation one to keep an eye on.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently drew up a list of contracts to keep an eye on for each NFL team and picked Etienne for Jacksonville, pointing out that he'll have the chance to cash in next year if he bounces back in 2025. Here's the skinny.
"Etienne is playing on his fifth-year option before hitting free agency, and the 26-year-old is hopeful the timing works in his favor," Howe wrote. "Coach Liam Coen is so often praised for his QB guidance, but his offensive philosophy remains rooted in a strong running game."
Howe continued, "Etienne had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before a forgettable 558-yard output over 15 games in 2024. Tank Bigsby led the Jags in rushing, and they drafted Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round. Etienne has the talent to be a lead back, but he’ll have to produce to earn it."
As Howe noted, Etienne is entering a contract season, and he could benefit from the resurgence running backs have enjoyed in recent years due to the production of colleagues Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs. Similarly, clubs have begun to once again draft running backs in the top 10 after years of avoiding the position early in the first round.
All the attention running backs have been getting could help Travis Etienne earn a market-valued contract in 2025. The issue is that he needs to prove he's still the playmaker he was for Jacksonville before last year, and he may have a steep hill to climb.
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Travis Etienne could still be RB1 for the Jaguars
Even though Travis Etienne is coming off a somewhat disappointing season, he's still a No. 1 running back. Maybe that's why the Jacksonville Jaguars have been hesitant to trade him, with Liam Coen going as far as calling the idea nonsense. If the Louisiana native were to stick around in 2025, he still has the skillset to be the top option in the Jags' backfield. The fact that he can be a dependable pass-catcher certainly gives him an edge.
Having said that, plans can always change, and the team's brass could ultimately ship Etienne if Bhayshul Tuten makes an impression in training camp. Conversely, the Jags may want to hold onto him if they suffer an injury at the position.
And that's the thing, the Jaguars aren't in a hurry to make a decision about Etienne. They aren't hurting for cap space, and he gives them depth and insurance at the running back. Heck, they may want to wait until another club suffers an injury to get the highest possible return.
The downside for Etienne is that there doesn't appear to be a clear-cut option ahead of training camp, and if things remain the same way in the regular season, he may be part of a backfield committee, which would probably hurt his stock ahead of 2026's free agency.
Ultimately, Travis Etienne is incentivized to show he's still one of the best running backs in the NFL. Whether he gets a chance to prove it in Jacksonville remains to be seen.
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