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Liam Coen: Jaguars Not Looking To Trade RB Travis Etienne

June 2nd, 2025 at 12:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the build-up to the draft, Travis Etienne was named as a potential trade candidate in the event Jacksonville selected Ashton Jeanty. Even when that did not take place, Etienne’s future was a talking point.

The new Jaguars regime – led by head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone – was reported last month to be “not so high” on Etienne. The former first-rounder missed his entire rookie season due to injury but handled a heavy workload as Jacksonville’s lead back in 2022 and ’23. The emergence of Tank Bigsby last season led to a reduction in Etienne’s usage, but the latter should not be considered available at this time.

“He’s done a great job,” Coen said when speaking to the media about Etienne (video link). “I don’t really understand some of the stuff I’ve kind of seen out there. That’s absolutely inaccurate.”

A public rejection of the speculation surrounding Etienne’s future obviously does not represent a guarantee he will remain in place for 2025. Coen’s remarks do, however, certainly point toward that being the case. Jacksonville picked up Etienne’s fifth-year option last spring; as a result, the Clemson product is owed $6.14MM this year. As a pending free agent, Etienne’s play under Coen will of course be crucial in determining his market value.

Fumbles emerged as an issue in Bigsby’s case last year, one in which his snap share jumped to 36%. Two more years remain on his rookie contract, so a role of some kind should be expected as the Coen era begins. The Jags’ backfield also includes fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten, and he will aim to carve out a share of the carries in 2025. Improvement on the ground will expected for Jacksonville given Coen’s success in that regard with Tampa Bay last year.

Etienne – who topped 1,400 scrimmage yards in 2022 and again the following year – will aim to return to his previous efficiency as a rusher while remaining a key contributor out of the backfield in 2025. Doing so would help his chances of landing a long-term Jacksonville commitment next spring. While it remains to be seen if that will take place, a trade between now and Week 1 has become even more unlikely.

2025 NFL Trades

May 28th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The modern NFL features four clear trade windows. While the Cowboys and Steelers’ George Pickens swap showed moves can be made at other points on the NFL calendar, early March, the draft, the 53-man roster-setting date and the November deadline reside as the primary points trades occur around the league. On that note, it is a good time to check in on what has transpired on the trade market between windows two and three.

Excluding pick-for-pick trades, here are the moves NFL teams have made thus far in 2025:

March 1

49ers chose running back Jordan James at 147

March 4

Rams traded pick to Vikings, moving up to No. 172 for linebacker Chris Paul Jr.

March 5

March 6

March 7

Seahawks chose quarterback Jalen Milroe at 92

March 9

Seahawks used No. 52 to trade up (via the Titans) 17 spots for safety Nick Emmanwori, drafted running back Damien Martinez at 223; Steelers selected quarterback Will Howard at 185

March 10

Texans added wide receiver Jaylin Noel at 79, sent 236 to Jaguars in Day 2 trade; Commanders chose wideout Jaylin Lane at No. 128 

Eagles used No. 164 to climb one spot (via Chiefs) in first round for linebacker Jihaad Campbell

March 11

March 12

Bills took Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock at 170; Cowboys chose guard Ajani Cornelius at No. 204

Titans drafted running back Kalel Mullings at No. 188; Cowboys chose running back Phil Mafah at 239

March 13

March 15

Vikings packaged No. 187 in trade-down move (via Texans); 49ers drafted safety Marques Sigle at 160

April 3

Patriots traded down from No. 171 (via Lions) to draft kicker Andres Borregales; Cowboys chose defensive tackle Jay Toia at 217

April 26

Seahawks selected defensive lineman Rylie Mills at No. 142; Vikings traded No. 172 to Rams

May 7

June 2

Pick could upgrade to fourth-rounder if performance-based conditions are met

June 30

July 1

The Most Lucrative ILB Contract In Each Franchise’s History

May 21st, 2025 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers have again made Fred Warner the NFL’s highest-paid off-ball linebacker. The franchise did this in 2021 as well. A team that has employed All-Pro NaVorro Bowman and Hall of Famer Patrick Willis over the past 15 years, the 49ers have spent on the high end to fortify this position. Other clubs, however, have been far more hesitant to unload significant cash to staff this job.

The $20MM-per-year linebacker club consists of only two players (Warner, Roquan Smith), but only four surpass $15MM per year presently. Last year saw the Jaguars and Jets (Foye Oluokun, C.J. Mosley) trim their priciest ILBs’ salaries in exchange for guarantees, and the Colts did not make it too far with Shaquille Leonard‘s big-ticket extension. Although some contracts handed out this offseason created optimism about this stubborn market, franchises’ pasts here do not depict a trend of paying second-level defenders.

Excluding rookie contracts and arranged by guaranteed money, here is (via OvertheCap) the richest contract each franchise has given to an off-ball ‘backer:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Milano’s first extension (in 2021) brought more in overall value and fully guaranteed money, but the 2023 pact provided more in total guarantees

Carolina Panthers

Shaq Thompson‘s 2019 extension brought a higher AAV ($13.54MM), but Kuechly’s included more in guarantees

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw‘s 2025 contract (three years, $31.5MM) brought a higher AAV but a lower guarantee

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Azeez Al-Shaair checks in atop franchise history in AAV ($11.33MM) but fell short of McKinney’s in guarantees

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Rolando McClain‘s 2010 rookie contract, agreed to in the final year before the rookie-scale system debuted, checked in higher in terms of guarantees ($22.83MM)

Los Angeles Chargers

Kenneth Murray‘s rookie contract (a fully guaranteed $12.97MM) narrowly eclipses this deal

Los Angeles Rams

Mark Barron‘s 2016 contract brought a higher AAV ($9MM) but a lower guarantee

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo; December 17, 2011: Five years, $48.5MM ($27MM guaranteed)

Robert Spillane‘s $11MM AAV leads the way at this position in New England, but the recently dismissed HC’s contract brought more guaranteed money

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Blake Martinez‘s free agency deal included a higher AAV ($10.25MM) but a lower guaranteee

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Warner secured more guaranteed money on this extension than he did on his five-year 2021 deal ($40.5MM guaranteed)

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Jamin Davis‘ fully guaranteed rookie contract brought a higher guarantee ($13.79MM)

AFC Staff Updates: Jaguars, Patriots, Steelers, Jets, Dolphins, Titans, Colts

May 17th, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Ely Allen

With rookie general manager James Gladstone and rookie head coach Liam Coen taking over in Jacksonville, we’ve seen a mass migration of coaches and front office staff from Los Angeles to Duval this offseason. Gladstone and Coen created several connections during their time with the Rams, and Sean McVay has never been known to keep his coaches from pursuing positions with upwards mobility elsewhere.

The latest staff members we see making the move are former national scout Brian Hill and former director of draft management JW Jordan. Per Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com, Hill is set to become the new director of college scouting in Jacksonville. Hill had been with the Rams since 2013, spending two years as a scouting assistant and ten years as an area scout responsible for the Midwest region. He had just been promoted to national scout in March, but he will pass up the opportunity for an even bigger elevation with the Jaguars.

Jordan has been with the Rams for 13 years, spending the last six in his role as director of draft management and serving as a scouting consultant before that. His new role has not yet been announced, but Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that it will be an executive role.

Here are some other staff updates from around the AFC:

  • Stratton also gave us two recent updates for the Patriots scouting staff. Just over a week after Tennessee moved on from scouting director A.J. Highsmith, he has found a role in New England as the new director of pro scouting. The move puts Highsmith on the same team as his father, Alonzo Highsmith, who is entering his second season as a senior personnel executive with the Patriots. Stratton also informed us that southeast area scout Josh Hinch will not be returning to the team in 2025.
  • After four years with the Steelers, it appears Mike Sullivan will not be back next season. It’s unclear if something occurred, but ESPN’s Brooke Pryor pointed out that he no longer appears on the team’s website. The 58-year-old spent three years as Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks coach before moving to a senior offensive assistant role last year. Additionally, the Steelers have hired Luke Smith to serve as a quality control coach for the team in 2025. The nephew of Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith, Luke has spent the past eight years as the wide receivers coach at nearby Duquesne, per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. This will be Smith’s first position in the NFL.
  • Stratton gave us another front office update recently, pointing out a change to the LinkedIn profile of Jets assistant director of pro personnel Kevin Murphy. Murphy seems to have indicated on the account that his time with New York has come to an end. The profile currently does not indicate any next steps for the pro personnel specialist who spent time with the Texans, Bills, and Jets over the last 19 years.
  • Jordan Happle has been hired as a new player personnel scout for the Dolphins. According to Stratton, the former collegiate safety who played at both Boise State and Oregon was recently added to Miami’s website in the new position.
  • Stratton also tells us that the Titans are hiring former Pitt director of college scouting Alex Kline to their scouting department this season. Kline began his football career as a wide receiver at John Caroll University before becoming a grad assistant and, eventually, a coach and coordinator at Saint Vincent College. He worked for a year at Pitt as an offensive quality control coach before leaving for a recruiting role at Akron. He returned to Pitt as the wide receivers coach before leaving once again for the director of player personnel job at Memphis. He returned once more to Pitt in 2022 in his most recent role before making the trip back to Tennessee. It stands to be seen whether or not he’ll attempt to continue his back-and-forth career movement between coaching and personnel.
  • Lastly, Seth Walder of ESPN informs us that Ashleigh Prugh is joining the Colts as a football analytics fellow. This will be Prugh’s first position in the NFL following an internship with SumerSports.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/25

May 15th, 2025 at 7:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Indianapolis Colts

  • Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): DT Eric Johnson II
  • Waived: S Marcel Dabo

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Waived: TE Patrick Murtagh

Kansas City Chiefs

Today’s move by the Colts is a bit of a reunion, as Eric Johnson II was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2022. He spent his first two seasons in Indy, appearing in 28 games while compiling 18 tackles and one sack. He was waived at the end of the 2024 preseason and landed in New England, where he proceeded to get into 11 games for his new squad.

While Johnson has been buried on the depth chart and occasionally stuck on special teams throughout his career, he has gotten some run on defense. He got into a career-high 265 defensive snaps in 2023, although that dropped to 178 defensive snaps during his time with the Patriots.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/25

May 14th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jadon Janke

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Williams, who recently worked out for Houston without getting a contract, turned a workout with the Patriots into a roster spot for the summer. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, New England also worked out former Saints running back Jordan Mims, but Williams walked away with the deal.

Travis Hunter To Split Offensive, Defensive Reps During Jaguars’ OTAs

May 11th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The draft provided clarity on where Travis Hunter will begin his NFL career, with the Jaguars executing a move up the board to the No. 2 pick. That agreement with the Browns had been worked out well in advance, but it came as a surprise to many at the time and invited questions about how Jacksonville’s positional approach would play out with him.

Rookie general manager James Gladstone said last month the Jags would begin with Hunter working primarily at receiver. That news came as little surprise, but the 2024 Heisman winner made it clear during the pre-draft process he intended to continue playing both ways upon arrival in the NFL. After only taking reps at wideout during rookie minicamp, Liam Coen said Hunter will also see time at cornerback during Jacksonville’s upcoming OTAs.

“We just kind of ended up making a decision that from yesterday to today, we wanted to be able to clean up some of the things that we may have been able to miss yesterday [and] get extra reps on the offensive side of the ball and next week he’ll start to roll on defense,” the first-year head coach said following the end of rookie minicamp (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco).

During his final season at Colorado, Hunter averaged 114 total snaps per game. That allowed him to put up noteworthy production on offense (1,258 yards, 15 touchdowns on 96 receptions) and defense (four interceptions, 11 pass deflections) en route to a slew of accolades. Gladstone has certainly not downplayed Hunter’s potential when speaking publicly about him, so a notable workload on both sides of the ball as a rookie could very well be in store. Coen noted the two-time All-American has spent time learning both playbooks, and mastering each in time for training camp would be key.

The Jags’ receiving corps will be led by 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Brian Thomas Jr. once again in 2025, especially with Christian Kirk being traded away and Gabe Davis being released. Hunter could see notable playing time early and often as a pass-catching presence with the team looking to find a long-term answer at the receiver spot. Both members of a Thomas-Hunter tandem would be under team control for several years on their rookie deals with quarterback Trevor Lawrence attached to a $55MM-per-year pact.

Jacksonville still has Tyson Campbell on the books for one boundary corner role, and the team signed Jourdan Lewis in free agency. The latter will operate in the slot on his new team, but Hunter could earn playing time on the outside depending on how well he acclimates on defense this offseason. That process will begin to ramp up later this month at OTAs, and it will be interesting to see how Hunter develops in each capacity.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/25

May 9th, 2025 at 9:10pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw a busy day of 2025 NFL Draft pick signings today. Here are the mid- to late-round picks who inked their four-year rookie deals:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Latest On Jags’ Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby

May 8th, 2025 at 9:52am CST by Adam La Rose

New Jaguars general manager James Gladstone made one of the most impactful moves of the draft by trading up to the No. 2 slot and selecting Travis Hunter. At the time Jacksonville was slated to pick fifth overall, though, running back Ashton Jeanty was closely linked to the team.

The Heisman runner-up wound up being drafted sixth overall by the Raiders, but he drew interest from multiple teams (the Jags and Bears among them) eyeing an addition in the backfield. The Jaguars have Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby atop the depth chart as things stand. Etienne’s name was mentioned as a trade candidate in the event Jacksonville took Jeanty, and his future may still be in the air.

The new Jags regime led by Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen is “not so high” on Etienne, multiple league sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 2021 first-rounder missed his entire rookie campaign before taking on starting duties the following three years. Etienne topped 1,000 rushing yards in both of those seasons, but his workload and production took a noticeable step back in 2024. Bigsby saw his workload spike compared to the previous year, logging 168 carries and a 36% snap share.

As Fowler notes, though, ball security is an issue in the latter’s case. Bigsby has fumbled a total of six times during his two-year career, and a continuation of that trend could limit his usage with Coen guiding the offense. Fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten could handle a notable workload early on depending on how the team divvies up backfield carries in 2025. Adding options to lower Etienne’s usage has been a goal in recent years, but a true committee approach would of course have notable consequences for the Clemson product heading into free agency next spring.

The Jaguars’ previous regime picked up Etienne’s fifth-year option last spring, tying him to $6.14MM in earnings for 2025. The 26-year-old will look to bounce back from last year’s showing (during which he missed a pair of games and averaged a career-worst 3.7 yards per carry, leading to questions about his RB1 status). With new decision-makers in place, it will be interesting to see if Etienne plays his way into a deal beyond 2025 by changing the team’s opinion of him. Bigsby, meanwhile, has more time to do that since two years remain on his rookie pact.

Jaguars Release WR Gabe Davis

May 7th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jacksonville’s new regime continues to reshape its pass-catching corps. A year after Trent Baalke gave Gabe Davis a lucrative contract in free agency, James Gladstone is moving on.

Following the exits of Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, the Jaguars announced a Davis release. The $13MM-per-year player is back in free agency after a disappointing Jags debut. The team added Travis Hunter in the draft, and the 2024 Heisman winner team with 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. Davis is departing via a failed physical designation, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes.

This release will bring a steep price for the Jags. As the team will build around two first-round contracts at the position to complement Trevor Lawrence‘s $55MM-per-year deal, they will incur a $20MM dead money hit by cutting Davis. That is on the higher end in WR history, but incoming regimes are generally less concerned about taking on notable cap hits for previous staffs’ failed investments.

After a productive Buffalo tenure, Davis indeed qualified as a failed signing. The Jags could reduce this dead cap considerably by designating Davis a post-June 1 cut. In that event, the team could take the dead money down to just $5.7MM for 2025 — with the rest of the bill due in 2026.

Davis caught only 20 passes last season, producing only 239 yards — by far a career-low mark — in a season that ended with a meniscus surgery. That contributed heavily to the low yardage total, as Davis missed seven games. The former fourth-round find had arrived in Jacksonville on the heels of a 746-yard Buffalo finale. The former Stefon Diggs sidekick had posted 27 regular-season touchdown receptions with the Bills and delivered one of the greatest receiver performances in playoff history — via a four-TD night in a Bills-Chiefs classic in the 2021 divisional round. The Central Florida alum did not closely resemble that version with the Jags.

Davis’ 2024 and ’25 free agencies will not produce comparable price tags. With the Jags tied to the sixth-year veteran’s 2025 money, offset language could allow Davis’ next team to add him for the veteran minimum. That would slightly subtract from the Jaguars’ dead money total. But they will still take a significant loss here. But Gladstone appears fine doing so, having made a blockbuster trade to secure Hunter as his new offensive centerpiece. Suddenly, a Jags team that had several veteran pass catcher salaries is not tied to much in that area.

Jacksonville carried eight-figure-per-year deals for Kirk, Engram and Davis last year. In 2023, the team rostered Kirk, Engram, Zay Jones‘ $8MM-per-year contract and Calvin Ridley‘s fifth-year option. Baalke’s final offseason featured a push to retain Ridley despite having given Davis a three-year, $39MM deal hours into the legal tampering period. Tennessee outbid both Jacksonville and New England for Ridley, but the Jags were still carrying a pricey skill-position corps. A year later, all those contracts are gone — even if Davis’ could still linger on the payroll through 2026 (depending on a post-June 1 decision).

A boundary wideout known for deep production in Buffalo, Davis ranked as PFR’s No. 23 overall free agent. He posted a career-high 836 receiving yards in 2022 and scored either six or seven touchdowns in each of his four Bills seasons. Davis will head into an age-26 season in 2025, which will certainly give him a chance to bounce back. But teams will certainly be leery of Davis being a Josh Allen creation as his second free agency commences.

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