The Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting at 5-4 and while, if the season ended today, they'd be the seven-seed in the playoffs, they just got hit with some absolutely brutal injury news. After previously being told that there was hope that first-round rookie Travis Hunter would be able to return after his IR stint, the opposite of that is being reported.
According to Ian Rapoport, Hunter underwent season-ending knee surgery and his sights are set on returning in time for the 2026 NFL season. That means he will not be suiting up for the Jaguars again this year.
Sources: #Jaguars star CB/WR Travis Hunter underwent season-ending knee surgery, with eyes set on 2026. It was an LCL repair.
He’s expected to return within 6 months to full football activities. pic.twitter.com/nFEnZad6rU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 11, 2025
Jaguars hit with Travis Hunter injury update that could wreck playoff chances
Hunter was injured ahead of the Jaguars' Week 9 showdown against the Raiders, getting injured during practice. He was promptly placed on on IR shortly after and the Jags traded for Jakobi Meyers to try and bolster the wide receiver room in his absence.
The injury was bad enough as it is but it hurt even more considering how electric Hunter looked the week before despite the Jags getting blown out by the Rams. Hunter finished that game with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. That's where it'll end, however.
Not having Hunter at Trevor Lawrence's disposal has proven to be a tough break for the Jags quarterback, as the team won their Week 9 game against the Raiders but barely and then collapsed against the Texans in Week 10. They've lost three of their last four games and not having Hunter makes a resurgence seem less realistic.
The good news is that Jacksonville does have some winnable games remaining on its schedule, including two games against the last-place Titans. They'll also play the Cardinals and Jets in the back half of the season. If they win all four of those games and can then win at least two against their remaining opponents (Chargers, Colts twice, and Broncos), then that should be enough to get them into the playoffs.
Let's hope Hunter's injury news doesn't go on to doom the Jags' season but fans certainly aren't feeling too optimistic after hearing this. Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery for the first-round rookie.