Travis Hunter's Season Ends Early Due to Knee Surgery

Travis Hunter, the Jacksonville Jaguars' promising rookie, is out for the rest of the season. He had surgery on his right knee on Tuesday. The surgery fixed his lateral collateral ligament (LCL). The good news is that there was no other damage to his knee. Doctors expect him to be back to full strength in about six months. Hunter got hurt during practice on October 30. He was on defense when it happened. At first, the team thought it might not be too serious. But later tests showed the LCL was damaged. The good news was that his ACL was fine. Hunter's last game was his best yet. He caught eight passes for 104 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. That was in a game against the Los Angeles Rams in London. So far this season, he has 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he has 15 tackles and three pass breakups. Hunter was becoming the team's top receiver. This was partly because of his skills and partly because Brian Thomas Jr. was struggling. Thomas had five drops, which didn't help. But now, with Hunter and Thomas both injured, the Jaguars traded for Jakobi Meyers. Meyers played 24 snaps and caught three passes in his first game with the team. The Jaguars gave up a lot to get Hunter. They traded four draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2026. They also gave the Cleveland Browns the No. 5 pick, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round selection in the 2025 draft. In return, they got fourth- and sixth-round picks in the 2025 draft. This is a big setback for Hunter and the Jaguars. But the team is hopeful he will make a full recovery and be back stronger next season.