As Clemson\u2019s all-time rushing leader and one of the most accomplished offensive players in program history, Travis Etienne has rarely entered an offseason quietly. This one, however, carries more intrigue than most.<\/p>\n
After completing another successful year with the Jacksonville Jaguars despite a first-round exit from the NFL Playoffs, Etienne now enters free agency as one of the best running backs available on the open market.<\/p>\n
The high demand comes after one of the best overall seasons displayed by the fifth-year running back.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Etienne ran the ball for 1,107 yards and 7 touchdowns on 260 carries while also hauling in 36 receptions for 292 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. His ball security was also elite, as he fumbled just once all season.<\/p>\n
As a result, several potential landing spots have already emerged. This past Tuesday, Bleacher Report\u2019s Alex Kay projected Etienne as a fit for several teams around the league, citing both his production and the current state of the running back market.<\/p>\n
Being ranked as the No. 1 running back on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department\u2019s latest free-agent big board, Kay identified the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets as potential landing spots.<\/p>\n
For Dallas, Kay wrote that Etienne \u201cwould be a sensible choice for a Cowboys team that should be feeling desperate for some backfield stability,\u201d pointing to ongoing questions about the Cowboys\u2019 run game if starter Javonte Williams takes his talents elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Denver also surfaced as a logical fit, as the Broncos\u2019 rushing attack \u201chas been one of the roster\u2019s weak points\u201d under head coach Sean Payton, especially with the loss of J.K. Dobbins this year to a foot sprain. If Denver is to land Etienne, he could serve as a proven, every-down option for the team.<\/p>\n
A return to Jacksonville hasn\u2019t been ruled out either. Kay noted that the Jaguars \u201cknow exactly what they have in Etienne and shouldn\u2019t be willing to let him walk in free agency,\u201d suggesting that the team could still explore ways to retain him after a critical bounce-back season.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Kansas City\u2019s interest would stem from a need for a consistent ground presence, with Etienne viewed as a massive upgrade over the current backfield duo of 30-year-old Kareem Hunt and Isaiah Pacheco.<\/p>\n
The Jets rounded out Kay\u2019s projections, as New York is expected to have both cap flexibility and roster openings following a brutal 3-14 campaign.<\/p>\n
For a more Jaguars-focused perspective, Sports Illustrated journalist Andy Quach offered a narrower outlook on Etienne\u2019s market.<\/p>\n
Quach wrote that Jacksonville \u201cmay have already seen Travis Etienne\u2019s last game in the black and teal,\u201d picking the Tennessee Titans and the New York Jets as the two teams most likely to pursue him.<\/p>\n
The credited journalist added that Tennessee\u2019s current backfield construction could allow Etienne to provide \u201cthe best of both worlds\u201d as a dual-threat runner and receiver, while potentially costing less than current starter Tony Pollard, who will be making nearly seven million dollars in 2026.<\/p>\n
New York\u2019s inclusion once again emphasizes the league-wide belief that the Jets could be aggressive in reshaping their offense due to the cap space they hold, regardless of how their quarterback situation unfolds.<\/p>\n
As Etienne weighs his options, his 2025 production ensures he enters free agency with leverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Clemson\u2019s all-time rushing leader and one of the most accomplished offensive players in program history, Travis Etienne…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":690212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2060],"tags":[7,212,125,2401,213,6,100720,7150],"class_list":{"0":"post-690211","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville-jaguars","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-jacksonville","10":"tag-jacksonville-jaguars","11":"tag-jacksonvillejaguars","12":"tag-jaguars","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-tigers-in-nfl","15":"tag-travis-etienne"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115925216345783410","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=690211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/690212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=690211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=690211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=690211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}