March 13, 2026, 4:40 p.m. CT
Travis Etienne Jr. isn’t the only player with that last name in the NFC South; his younger brother Trevor is a running back for the Carolina Panthers. And the elder brother can’t wait to take the division away from him after signing with the New Orleans Saints. Etienne had plenty of good reasons to sign with the Saints in free agency but he told reporters Friday that the opportunity to win more games against his sibling just made the deal even better.
“That’s just the icing on (the cake), the cherry on top,” Etienne smiled. “I just want to say this right now, I’m 1-0 versus him, undefeated, and I plan on keeping it that way.” Etienne echoed that sentiment to WWL Radio’s Jeff Nowak, having told his brother: “I hope y’all get a good wild card spot because the division is ours.”
Etienne’s Jaguars ran roughshod over the Panthers in his last game against Carolina, winning on New Years’ Eve 2023 in a 26-0 shutout. He rushed for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 16 carries while catching two passes for another 16 yards. His big highlight on the afternoon was a 62-yard score. If you’re curious, no Saints running back has had a rush for 62 or more yards since Mark Ingram II did it on Dec. 3, 2017.
Much love to his brother, but Etienne enjoyed watching Tyler Shough and the Saints sweep Carolina last year, too. That was his first exposure to his new quarterback, and Etienne liked what he saw. Shough engineered a fourth-quarter comeback in Week 15, tying the game with a 12-yard Chris Olave touchdown pass before getting the team into field goal range for Charlie Smyth to put it away. Seeing Shough standing tall impressed him. Now he wants to be a part of more wins against a division rival — and maybe win some more bragging rights against his brother, too.
