Just days before Shedeur Sanders put pen to paper on his rookie contract with the Browns, his former Colorado teammate, Travis Hunter, had a message for him. “Shedeur’s got to go in there and work, earn his job just like me,” Hunter said. “But he’s also got to go in there and be the head of the offense.” It wasn’t just friendly advice—it was a challenge from one top rookie to another, straight from Jacksonville to Cleveland.
And Shedeur? He took it personally. Not only did he show up at Browns camp with something to prove. He backed it up, both on the field and on the dotted line. His rookie deal: four years, $4.6 million. Now, zoom out and look at this moment through Hunter’s perspective. The Jaguars just handed him his own monster rookie contract as the No. 2 overall pick.
And let’s just say the quarterback he once lined up beside is nothing but speechless. On Monday, June 23. the Jaguars took to their ‘X’ handle and announced that they’ve signed the rookie sensation. Right after that went down, Shedeur took some time to re-share this post on his official ‘X’ handle and sent a message, an emoji, to be precise. “,” Shedeur shared. Sure, he didn’t say much. But the mutual understanding was enough for Hunter to get the message.
— Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) June 23, 2025
After minicamps wrapped, only two rookies hadn’t signed their deals—Hunter and Bengals first-rounder Shemar Stewart. That changed quickly. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Hunter signed a massive four-year, $46.65 million contract, with a staggering $30.5 million signing bonus. And here’s the kicker: the entire bonus hit his account up front. Paid in full. Day one. That’s a unicorn move in today’s NFL.
Hunter’s agency, Young Money APAA Sports, confirmed he’s now the first non-quarterback not picked No. 1 overall to get his entire signing bonus paid immediately. The Jaguars aren’t just betting on a talent. They’re investing in something historic.
Jacksonville plans to use him on both sides of the ball, a full-time two-way player. It’s been over six decades since anyone pulled that off—Chuck Bednarik, who lined up at center and linebacker for Philly from 1949 to 1962. Hunter’s chasing that kind of legacy, and the Jags just gave him every reason to go all-in.
The Jaguars’ DE addressed Travis Hunter’s dual role
Ever since the Jaguars picked Travis Hunter second overall a couple of months back, everyone wants to know how they’ll utilize his two-way game from Colorado. The rookie played both sides of the ball at Colorado, especially turning heads in the final season of his collegiate career. We’re talking about 96 receptions for over 1,250 yards on the offensive side, including 36 tackles and four interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.
How will his rookie season turn out in Jacksonville? Well, it’s too early to predict. But safe to say that Hunter hardly rested in his final year at Colorado, and he’s going to replicate it in the upcoming NFL season as well. The Jags’ defensive end, Arik Armstead, recently sat down with the First Things First podcast, where he talked about Hunter’s two-way game.
“It does seem impossible, until you’re around Travis,” Armstead said, addressing Hunter playing on both sides of the ball. “I think one of the most impressive things about him is he’s out there and doing it, but it’s hot in Jacksonville. We sweatin’, and this dude doesn’t break a sweat. We look at him, he’s smooth, he’s very elastic, and everything comes very naturally to him. He’s just a natural-born athlete.”
Hunter played on both sides of the ball at the mandatory minicamp, and the head coach, Liam Coen, noted that the rookie wants to do it on both sides, and he’s going to do it on both. “When you look at playing both sides of the football, his schedule is crazy. Two days he’s on offense, and then he pops up in our meetings. He’ll make a crazy interception and then go on offense and score a touchdown,” Armstead added. So, Travis Hunter is now all set to kick-start his rookie season. He’d already turned heads at the minicamp. The training session and the preseason are now next in line.
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