Colorado Buffaloes football legend Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars set for major contract quagmire in 2028 after agreeing to rookie-scale deal

Colorado Buffaloes football legend Travis Hunter and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms on a rookie-scale contract on Sunday. The deal will give Hunter his full $30.57 million signing bonus up front.

Cut-and-dry for a player the Jags sacrificed a good number of assets for on draft night.

Things won’t stay that way for long, though.

As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes, his contract value after the 2027 season will start to be dictated by the position he plays. All indications are that Jacksonville will play Hunter at multiple positions: receiver and in the secondary, likely at cornerback and in spurts at the nickel spot.

“When it’s time for the Jaguars to pick up Hunter’s fifth-year option, it will be driven by the position at which he takes the most snaps. Ditto for the franchise tag,” Florio wrote.

“Only in his second contract will Hunter have a chance to get paid for playing both positions. He won’t be eligible for that until after his third regular season ends.

“That’s when it will get interesting. After the 2027 regular season. Hunter, if he’s playing both ways on a full-time basis, will have every right to be paid for both of his jobs.

“The stakes will be high, for both sides. The Jaguars happily gave up their 2026 first-round pick and more to trade up three spots in the first round because they were getting two players in one — as their two-pronged social-media announcement of his signing confirms. At some point, they’ll need to depart from a Collective Bargaining Agreement that doesn’t contemplate paying extra money to a player who plays both ways.”

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has the world at his fingertips in the NFL after the Jaguars sold the farm to land him.

He has clout that Shedeur Sanders could only dream of right now, given his recent off-field issues.