Jaguars' Travis Hunter has season-ending knee surgery but is expected back for start of next season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter had season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee and is expected to return to the football field within six months. The team said there was no additional damage to Hunter's knee, which he injured during a non-contact drill in practice last month. Hunter was coming off a career performance in London before his injury. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Jaguars (5-4) were planning to use him as their No. 1 receiver moving forward partly because Brian Thomas Jr. leads the league with nine dropped passes. The injury, though, surely will stunt his NFL growth. Hunter never really looked like a player worth what Jacksonville gave up to trade up three spots and select him second overall in April; he wasn't the best cornerback on a rebuilding team and wasn't the best receiver, either. The Jags dealt a second-round pick in 2025 and a first-rounder in 2026 to swap first-round spots with Cleveland. Hunter played a combined 486 snaps this season, with 324 of those coming on offense. He played 67% of the downs on that side of the ball. He played 162 snaps on defense, on the field 36% of the time on that side of the ball. He finished with 28 receptions for 298 yards and a score. He also had 15 tackles and three pass defenses.