Why Jaguars’ Travis Hunter trade is biggest move in franchise history

Billy Heyen

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Why Jaguars’ Travis Hunter trade is biggest move in franchise history image

The Jacksonville Jaguars moved a ton of draft capital to jump three spots near the top of the first round last Thursday.

It was for a very good reason: They wanted Travis Hunter, the potentially generational two-way superstar who won the Heisman Trophy at Colorado while playing cornerback and wide receiver at extremely high levels.

Maybe the Browns landed a gem with Mason Graham at the No. 5 pick, or Quinshon Judkins at No. 36, or with whoever they take with the Jags' 2026 first-rounder.

But Jacksonville got Hunter. That's plenty good enough for GM James Gladstone. 

Here's what Gladstone had to say at Hunter's introductory press conference:

Football has capacity to ignite belief. Belief in ourselves, belief in others, belief in achieving what many may deem impossible.

Travis Hunter, he embodies belief. He's a rare person. He's a rare player. But he's also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were built to be challenged.

The decision to select him was actually a statement. A statement for how we plan to move, who we are, and we want him to be nothing more than him. When he is, he elevates the space around him.

MORE: There's a third position Travis Hunter could play as a rookie

That's absolutely amazing.

It's almost a wonder that more teams weren't pursuing the player that Jacksonville gave up its future assets to acquire.

Everyone has known Hunter was special for a long time.

He was the No. 1 recruit in high school, then made a revolutionary decision to go play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State.

He stayed loyal, following Sanders to Colorado and catching passes from Shedeur Sanders for his entire college career while also making it a mission to catch the passes of the opposing team's QB, too.

Hunter was the No. 1 on most draft boards, but positional need meant the Titans took Cam Ward first.

That set the Browns up to land the greatest talent of his generation in Hunter. Instead, they went for the quantity over quality route.

The Jaguars took advantage and landed themselves a potentially historic football player.

As Gladstone said, Hunter is "a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were built to be challenged."

It's the boundary challenger that the Jaguars traded for. And that's why it's the biggest move in Jacksonville's franchise history.

The Jags had a no brainer when they took Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall. This time, moxie was required.

Gladstone, the 34-year old whiz kid general manager, showed more guts than any other GM in the league to make this move.

Now, it's Jacksonville the team and the city that get to reap the benefits. Hunter is a Jag, and the future is oh so very bright.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle