Will Jags Re-Sign Travis Etienne Jr.? NFL Insider Weighs In on Franchise Tag, Contract

In the midst of a solid rebound season after a disappointing 2024, Travis Etienne Jr. still has work to do to convince the Jacksonville Jaguars they should bring him back.

Per ESPN's Mike DiRocco, the Jaguars are "unlikely" to use the franchise tag on Etienne and used two picks in the 2025 draft on running backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr.

DiRocco noted the Jaguars coaching staff, led by first-year head coach Liam Coen, "wasn't enamored" with Etienne. He skipped the start of OTAs in the spring after Tuten and Allen were drafted, leading to speculation he could be traded.

Coen dismissed any trade talk early in the summer, praising Etienne for doing "a great job."

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The tag for Etienne would seem like an overpay since it is projected to come in around $14.1 million. The Jaguars are currently projected to have $8.4 million in cap space going into next season.

There was a time when it seemed like that could be a reasonable move for the Jaguars to make. He racked up more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023, along with a career-high 12 total touchdowns in 2023.

Etienne was a first-round pick in the 2021 draft, but he missed his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury. He has appeared in 59 out of a possible 61 games over the past four years.

The former regime in Jacksonville, led by general manager Trent Baalke, was responsible for drafting Etienne. That was also the group that picked up his fifth-year option in April 2024.

Etienne is averaging a career-high 72.9 rushing yards per game. He ranks 10th among all running backs with at least 100 carries in success rate (52.6 percent).

Tuten, a fourth-round rookie, has shown flashes of promise but not enough consistency to believe he could handle a full-time role going forward. He had his best game of the season in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers with 74 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, but he left early in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury.

Allen is averaging 5.2 yards per carry on just 13 carries, though he has been used in all 10 games so far this season.

This has been a disappointing year for several Jaguars skill-position players. Travis Hunter only played in seven games before a knee injury ended his year. Brian Thomas Jr. is averaging nearly 23 fewer receiving yards per game this season (52.5) than during his stellar rookie year (75.4).

Etienne can reasonably argue that he has fit in nicely with Coen's offensive scheme. It may not be enough to earn him a long-term contract from the club in the offseason, but it does increase his leverage going into free agency.