Feb. 11, 2026, 2:54 p.m. ET
ESPN’s Eric Moody predicts running back Travis Etienne will sign with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.Etienne is set to become a free agent in March.Moody believes Etienne’s skills as a runner and receiver would significantly boost the Chiefs’ backfield.
Several of ESPN’s NFL experts recently made predictions for the upcoming 2026 NFL offseason, and one of them included Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back Travis Etienne.
Etienne is set to hit free agency this March, so the prediction made by Eric Moody was around a possible landing spot for him — and, no, it wasn’t with the Jaguars.
Instead, Moody predicted that Etienne will sign with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“His ability to contribute as both a runner and receiver (5,136 career all-purpose yards with 32 touchdowns) would boost a Chiefs backfield that averaged less 4.0 yards per carry last season and failed to produce a running back with at least 200 receiving yards,” wrote Moody.
Etienne had a bounce-back season in 2025, rushing for over 1,000 yards and contributing in the passing game. He’s a very good fit for Liam Coen’s offense with his ability to move around pre-snap and operate in space.
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However, whether or not he ends up with the Chiefs remains to be seen, but it is certainly possible that he signs somewhere else that isn’t Jacksonville.
While I’m sure the Jaguars would love to have Etienne back, they’ve also planned for this moment, drafting Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen last April.
The Jaguars also don’t have an abundance of salary cap space at the moment, so those resources could be utilized on more pressing needs than running back — like defensive tackle or cornerback.
We recently explored what Etienne’s next contract could look like.