Etienne registered back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, but his workload diminished significantly in 2024. His carries dropped from an average of 243.5 per year over those first two campaigns to 150 last season, when he missed two games due to injury. Backup Tank Bigsby emerged as the more viable option in what was generally a dreadful Jaguars offense last year. In fact, Bigsby finished with a higher rushing total (766 yards) than Etienne (558 yards). Entering the 2025 draft, many believed the Jaguars would select Boise State star Ashton Jeanty with the fifth overall pick and replace Etienne entirely, but when they instead traded up to take Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter at No. 2, Etienne received a new lease on his Jaguars life. That hasn’t come without skepticism, of course; on Monday, new head coach Liam Coen quelled trade rumors involving Etienne. But what we should truly take from all of this is one simple fact: Etienne, entering a contract year, has one more chance to prove he should be in Jacksonville’s long-term plans, and that opportunity arrives in 2025.
