Travis Etienne, Jaguars
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Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
The Minnesota Vikings swung and missed Monday on a top free agent running back who could have replaced Aaron Jones following two successful years with the franchise.
Minnesota was in on former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr., per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, but fell shy of the $52 million he got from the New Orleans Saints over a new four-year deal.
“The Saints are signing former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, per sources,” Russini reported on X. “The Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to retain the Louisiana native. The Broncos and Vikings were also interested.”
Dianna Russini
The Saints are signing former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, per sources.
The Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to retain the Louisiana native. The Broncos and Vikings were also interested.
Etienne, now 27 years old, has been in the NFL for five years.
He missed his rookie campaign due to a foot injury but has been durable since, playing full regular seasons in three of the last four years and eclipsing 1,000 yards every time.
Etienne’s down season came in 2024, when he tallied just 558 rushing yards and two scores. But he came back strong in 2025, putting up 1,107 yards on the ground at a clip of 4.3 yards per haul and scoring seven touchdowns. He added 36 receptions for 292 yards and six TDs in the pass game.
That dual-threat production, plus the strong running back market this spring, combined to raise Etienne’s salary floor, which may have been a major factor in why the Vikings didn’t rise to meet the offer of $52 million from New Orleans — even despite the need to replace Jones in the offensive backfield.
The author will update this post.