The NFL turns dreams into pressure cookers overnight. One moment, a rookie prepares for a debut. Next, a brutal injury stops everything. Many players face the greatest mental challenge when football vanishes from daily life.
Travis Etienne Jr. faced that moment before his rookie year started. The explosive back, once a projected dynamic weapon for the Jacksonville Jaguars, sat out the entire 2021 season. Recovery demanded more than rehab drills. He battled isolation, pain, and a quiet mental slump that nearly derailed his career start.
Travis Etienne Jr. Opens Up About Lisfranc Injury That Triggered Early Career “Depressed State”
Jacksonville Jaguars, Travis Etienne
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs the ball during the second mandatory minicamp at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla.
The setback occurred during the 2021 preseason. Jaguars first-round pick Travis Etienne Jr. suffered a Lisfranc injury to his left foot against the Saints. That injury forced season-ending surgery before any official snaps. Recovery immobilized him for weeks and crushed him mentally with pain and isolation. Etienne lateradmitted the early post-surgery days wrecked him emotionally.
“It definitely was hard mentally. I didn’t realize it then, but I kind of was in a depressed state just not being able to do the things I love to do.But having my mom there, she kind of helped me stay in tune with myself and not let me lose myself.”
POWERFUL: #Saints running back Travis Etienne overcame trauma while with the #Jaguars.
Etienne notably suffered an injury that sidelined him his entire rookie season, leading him to a “depressed state” mentally and physically.
Travis describes the injury as the “worst pain… pic.twitter.com/tzRr6yXHPN
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) March 9, 2026
The lowest moment came shortly after surgery. The former Clemson Tigers football star vividly remembered the intense pain in the first 48 hours of recovery.
The running back couldn’t put weight on his foot for six weeks. That kept him indoors and away from football, hitting the competitive rookie harder than expected. Things turned once he returned to the team facility and started rehab with teammates around him.
Etienne later joked that missing the chaotic 2021 season when head coach Urban Meyer was fired midseason may have had one upside.
Travis Etienne Jr. bounced back hard after the injury. He rebuilt momentum. He reclaimed his spot as one of the league’s most explosive backs. The former first-round pick turned his lost rookie year into a launchpad for his career’s next phase.