Travis Hunter’s NFL career, prior to Sunday, had felt like a dream, a hope, something to believe in with sincere faith, but not something that had been realized yet.
In London’s Wembley Stadium in Week 6, Hunter showed what a two-way star can look like in the modern NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Houston Texans on a last-second field goal, but as far as the Jags are concerned, that’s not the story — Hunter is.
Hunter, for really the first time, looked like the Heisman Trophy-winning player he had been in college at Colorado.
He looked like the No. 1 recruit in the country who shocked everyone by going to Jackson State to play for Deion Sanders.
He looked like the guy who has been able to do anything he wanted on a football field since he first stepped onto the gridiron.
This is the player the Jaguars traded a fortune to move up and select in the 2025 NFL Draft at the No. 2 overall pick, giving the Cleveland Browns a few key assets but knowing that Hunter would come to Jacksonville when they made that move.
The Jaguars may have lost, but it’s a long season — and Hunter has arrived.
Travis Hunter Stats
Let’s start with the numbers for Hunter on Sunday.
He caught four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.
He also made three tackles on defense — and he intercepted a pass in the end zone to deny the Texans a chance at a touchdown.
The TD was the second of his NFL career, amazingly with the first coming a year ago when the Jags played at Wembley.
The interception was also the second of his career.
Beyond the Numbers
Hunter’s performance was about so much more than the numbers, though. You could see him feeling the moment at its full scope as he started to look like that Heisman winner once again.
On a couple of his catches, he started to juke all over the place, knowing that it was going to take more than one defender to tackle him. He looked like the peak version of Hunter.
Defensively, he often had the matchup with superstar WR Nico Collins, and while he didn’t always win that showdown, he held his own.
The box score will show Hunter got called for a costly pass interference, but it was a play the NFL Network broadcast wasn’t convinced should’ve been called in the first place.
And look at the way Hunter celebrated. His touchdown was followed by a dance clinic. His interception prompted a sprint off the field with some screams of joy.
Hunter won’t do this every week. He’ll still play a lot more on defense than offense.
But in Week 6 on the stage in London, it was like a Shakespeare script had been realized. This wouldn’t just be a standard protagonist, a guy who fills just one role. No, this is a game changer. If Hunter plays his part like this every week, the Jaguars will indeed have one of the most exciting players in the NFL — just like they were hoping when they drafted him.
Travis Hunter Makes 2-Way Statement for Jaguars in London